Colorado Buffaloes fans watched an interesting dynamic unfold in Las Vegas last Sunday, as defensive end Maxx Crosby and longtime family friend Shedeur Sanders faced off in the rookie’s first NFL start. Their competitive bond stole the spotlight.
Cleveland Brown’s rookie quarterback, Shedeur Sanders, first career NFL start came with plenty of pressure, but it also came with a familiar face standing on the opposite sideline. Lining up for the Las Vegas Raiders against the former Colorado Buffaloes star was Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby — not just one of the league’s most disruptive defenders, but someone who has known Shedeur since he was a kid visiting the Sanders family home in Texas.
Their families go back a decade, tied together from the days when their older brothers, Myles Crosby and Deion Sanders Jr., were teammates and roommates at SMU. What began as a childhood connection has grown into a genuine, and now competitive, relationship — one that took center stage on Sunday.
A Long-Standing Connection Becomes NFL Competition
Before the game, Crosby didn’t hide his excitement — or his intentions.
“I’ve known Shedeur for a very long time,” Crosby said. “We had a great relationship… But we got to get after him.”
And he meant it. Crosby delivered three quarterback hits on Shedeur, constantly testing the rookie’s poise. On the Browns’ opening drive — a quick three-and-out — Crosby even bumped into Sanders while jogging off the field, a competitive welcome that drew an immediate look of disbelief from the rookie.
But Sanders did what he often did at Colorado: respond.
Later in the quarter, with Crosby bearing down on him at full speed, Sanders uncorked a 52-yard strike to wideout Isiah Bond, setting up Cleveland’s second touchdown of the day to take a 14–0 lead. It was the kind of stand-in-the-fire throw that defined his best moments in Boulder — and now, apparently, in the NFL as well.
