Raiders Star Defensive Player Out with Injury vs. Falcons on Monday Night Football

The Las Vegas Raiders will be without defensive end Maxx Crosby for their Monday Night Football game against the Atlanta Falcons.

Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby won't play on Monday Night Football against the Atlanta Falcons. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Falcons' path to victory in their Monday Night Football game against the Las Vegas Raiders just became easier.

Las Vegas has ruled out star defensive end Maxx Crosby due to an ankle injury. He did not participate in practice this week and won't play Monday.

Crosby, a Pro Bowler each of the past three years, has started all 12 games in which he's played this season, recording 7.5 sacks, 17 tackles for loss and 20 quarterback hits. He's one of the NFL's best edge defenders and perhaps the Raiders' best overall player.

The absence of Crosby makes life significantly easier for the Falcons' offensive line and quarterback Kirk Cousins, who's endured a difficult four-game stretch in which he's thrown zero touchdowns and eight interceptions. Atlanta's lost all four contests.

But Falcons head coach Raheem Morris believes his team's offensive line isn't the reason why. Morris noted Atlanta has faced a pair of potent pass rushes over the past two weeks in the Los Angeles Chargers and Minnesota Vikings, and the Falcons have allowed the fewest pressures in the NFL during that span.

Atlanta's offensive line needs to reduce its penalties, be it false starts or holdings, but ultimately, Morris is quite pleased with the unit's recent play.

"It's been absolutely outstanding in the last two weeks," Morris said Wednesday. "We played people that got significant rushers on their football team. ... You're always going to get hit as a quarterback in football, right? But I do think our O-line has stepped up to a big challenge."

And without Crosby, the challenge posed by the Raiders' defensive front becomes much less than previously thought.

The Falcons (6-7) face the Raiders (2-11) at 8:30 p.m. Monday night inside Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.