Caleb Williams calls Maxx Crosby "best player I've played against," and Crosby responds

Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby made life tough for Bears quarterback Caleb Williams on Sunday: Crosby tipped three of Williams’ passes, once intercepted Williams, once hit Williams as he was passing, and once forced Williams to fumble.

The Bears managed to win anyway, but Williams came away from the game in awe of how good an opponent Crosby is.

“They’ve got a hell of a player over there,” Williams said of Crosby. “He’s probably the best player I’ve played against so far in my career. They’ve got a hell of a player.”

Crosby said on his podcast that he was honored to have that kind of respect from an opponent.

“Hearing that from a really good player is cool,” Crosby said. ‘Our matchup was all day -- all day we were going back and forth, and he’s a competitor, I’ll give it to him. He didn’t back down, he kept getting back up, kept making plays. He definitely has my respect. He is hard to tackle. He makes plays happen.”

Williams did make it happen with a long drive in the game’s final minutes that gave the Bears a 25-24 win over the Raiders. But Williams knows the best player on the field was on the losing team.