The NFL has a very strict policy about the plays. We’ll know that. Sometimes, plays scare the fans. It happened during the week 9 game between the Bengals and Raiders on November 3. Joe Burrow and Maxx Crosby were involved in the play, which left the fans shocked.

It was an unnecessary roughness which looked like a mistake by the Raiders defensive end. But it could have cost the Bengals their ace QB. During a play, he just went off and hit Burrow. Later, the officials ruled that he did it after the whistle. In a bid to discourage such antics, the league imposed a fine of $11,255 on Crosby.

The DE was fined for the violation of the ‘Player Safety Rules and/or Flagrant Personal Foul’ code of conduct under the section ‘Late Hit.’ If he commits it a second time, the fine would jump to $16,883. While the league imposes fines later, referees and officials need to be very vigilant. A minor mistake could cause an injury.

It looked like a real probable chance during Maxx Crosby’s Hit. The helmets of both players collided, after which Joe Burrow swiveled and fell. While many anticipated there would be a verbal fight or little pushing, exactly the opposite happened. After getting up, they shook hands and accepted that such mistakes could happen. The Bengals later crushed the Raiders 41-24.

However, the week 9 defeat was their 5th consecutive loss in the 2024 season. This has broken the confidence of the locker room. Demand for changes is rising. It’s high time.

Maxx Crosby wants changes in his locker room during the bye week

After the Bengals loss, the Raiders went into their bye week. But they wouldn’t be happy. After 9 weeks, the team is sitting at a 2-7 win-loss record. Since the current roster doesn’t have those players, changes were required. Many of those have already been done.

While the locker room captain Maxx Crosby and other players called it a lack of discipline and responsibility, Head Coach Antonio Pierce has taken it upon himself to revamp the franchise. After losing the week 9 loss, the HC removed QB coach, Rich Scangarello, offensive line coach, James Craig, and offensive coordinator, Luke Gatesy.

It was necessary. They have lost 7 games out of 9 and might find it hard to even finish with a respectable figure, forget qualifying for the playoffs. The HC also brought fresh coaches in the form of offensive coordinator Scott Turner and offensive line coach Joe Philbin. The changes were necessary, though.

After losing 7 games out of 9, it’s a crunch situation for them. The bye week gives the time required to hit the reset button. But doing it on the ground isn’t easy. Maxx Crosby and Co. have a huge task at hand.