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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) fumbles as he is hit by Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Malcolm Koonce (51) during the first half of an NFL football game Monday, Dec. 25, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo.
Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023 | 2 a.m.
Maxx Crosby took exception to a midseason suggestion that he wasn’t getting enough help from his teammates on the defensive line, particularly with the pass rush.
The All-Pro had 5.5 sacks through the first six weeks before any other defensive end on the roster had one, but Crosby said that wasn’t telling. A more telling sign to Crosby was the way he thought the starter on the opposite side of the line to him, Malcolm Koonce, was playing.
“In this league, sacks come in bunches,” Crosby said. “If you play the game the right way, they will come. If you’re chasing them, you’re not going to get as many as you expect… Malcolm is getting better and better, and that’s all that matters at the end of the day. The film doesn’t lie, and Malcolm is killing it.”
A bunch of sacks have finally arrived for Koonce. The third-year player has now banked five sacks in the last two weeks, more than any other player in the NFL.
The Raiders’ defense has soared to sit among the best in the league since interim coach Antonio Pierce took over — it’s currently No. 8 by the DVOA ratings — and there’s a case to be made that Koonce has been its best player in the span.
He’s at least led the Raiders with seven sacks and 32 pressures over the last two months going into Sunday’s Week 17 game at the Indianapolis Colts.
Koonce doesn’t get the level of attention from opponents as Crosby or make quite the splash plays as someone like cornerback Jack Jones (who has pick-sixes in back-to-back weeks) but he’s been a consistent difference-maker on virtually every down.
“Wow, right?” Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said of Koonce’s recent tear. “And when you have a guy like Maxx Crosby on defense, you’re just waiting for somebody. We’ve been waiting for who’s going to be that guy to step up and we’re like, ‘Man, look, (Crosby) is going to get double, triple teamed. You have the one-on-ones buddy; you have to win them.’ And he’s done that. He’s done an outstanding job.”
One of the Raiders’ biggest objectives coming into the season was finding a complement to Crosby. They’ve now done it, even though it’s not either of the two leading candidates from training camp — the since-released Chandler Jones or top draft pick Tyree Wilson.
Wilson has improved in recent weeks but he’s not nearly as seasoned as Koonce. More importantly for Koonce’s future, the two seem to fit well together with Las Vegas finding its most success when it shifts Wilson into an interior spot on the defensive line.
Koonce has a year left on his rookie deal, but with his recent tear, he looks to be in line for a contract extension.
“There’s still more to be done so I’m not settling,” Koonce said.
It’s a remarkable rise for a player who wasn’t considered a lock to make this year’s 53-man roster going into the season. But Crosby has always sung Koonce’s praises, which should have been a tell that he was bound to stick around.
Crosby felt a kinship with Koonce immediately given their shared backgrounds — both were midround picks (Crosby in the fourth in 2019 and Koonce in the third in 2021) out of Mid-American Conference schools (Crosby from Eastern Michigan and Koonce from Buffalo).
Although they’re virtually the same age — Crosby is 10 months older — Koonce has latched on to Crosby’s leadership.
“When you’re chasing (Crosby) around, you kind of have to match his energy,” Koonce said. “I don’t even think that’s possible, so you have to do the best you can.”
Crosby’s influence on Koonce was never more apparent than in training camp and should have been the first hint for what was to come. Koonce showed up more slender and moving quicker, having apparently adopted his own version of Crosby’s intense offseason diet and fitness routine.
Koonce said he doesn’t feel like he’s in any better shape than normal at this point of the season but it’s something he could work on going forward. He’s felt the toll of playing nearly four times more snaps this year than combined in his first two seasons (423 to 116).
“You’ve got to deal with a lot of pain, pain management,” Koonce said. “I didn’t expect how physically taxing it was before I was getting a whole bunch of reps. Now I feel it.”
The bumps and bruises might be worse than ever this week considering how active he was in logging a career-high 50 snaps in last week’s win over the Chiefs. Not only did Koonce set another career high with three sacks but his upfield aggression also resulted in a pair of tackles for loss.
He had six career sacks going into the Kansas City game and could describe them all because, in his words, “there’s not many so it’s not hard to remember them all.”
That looks imminent to change. With the way he’s playing down the stretch, Koonce is going to have a lot more snaps in the NFL — likely where he’s the one inflicting the pain and still in silver and black next to Crosby.
“I’m just making the most of my opportunities,” he said.
Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or
