Maxx Crosby played a crucial role in making sure that Patrick Mahomes played his worst game of the 2023/24 NFL season on Christmas Day. Although he didn’t necessarily show up in a big way on the box score, the Las Vegas Raiders defensive end was a menace.
Crosby, alongside his teammates, kicked down the Chiefs’ door and stole all of the presents from under their tree. The defense scored both touchdowns en route to a 20-14 win on December 25th. Mahomes completed 27 passes for only 235 yards and one touchdown with one interception.
It was ugly. That was intentional.
Then-interim head coach Antonio Pierce drew inspiration from the Detroit Pistons and Michael Jordan to implement a game plan that led to success — the ‘Patrick Mahomes rules.’
There isn’t much to it and it’s as simple as it sounds.
Pierce encouraged mandated his defense to torment Patrick Mahomes for 60-straight minutes. Las Vegas made sure to tap him, bump him, and hit him at every opportunity. The Raiders wanted to “get in his head mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually” like the Pistons did Jordan in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
We’ve got to knock off the head of the snake. Fifteen. Hate the color red. There’s a hatred for the Chiefs.
— Antonio Pierce, via The Rush
Pierce’s comments sparked some backlash among fans who took his comments as something that they are not. He is not encouraging his players to play dirty or cause an injury. He is encouraging them to play violent and establish their presence.
Crosby explained that all of the outrage toward the ‘Mahomes rules’ is misunderstood because it is not malicious. However, in doing so, the 26-year-old also said that his team plays with “ill intent.”
That will not go over well with the subset of NFL fans who do not like him. There is an element of contradiction in what he said, whether he meant it to come across that way or not.
Crosby was trying to clarify how the ‘Mahomes rules’ are not ill-intentioned. In doing so, he proudly touted his team’s ill intent.