The Las Vegas Raiders may need to kiss their postseason hopes goodbye as they were unable to bring home a win in Week 7.
The Raiders lost to the Los Angeles Rams 20-15 in Week 7, dropping their record down to 2-5 and sitting last in the AFC West. It was a bad afternoon all the way around for Las Vegas as they saw Aidan O’Connell forced out of the game due to a thumb injury, leaving Gardner Minshew to replace him.
Minshew had his moments moving the football but ultimately struggled with the Rams’ pass rush pressure. Minshew recorded three interceptions and lost a fumble, which allowed Los Angeles to capitalize and turn them into scoring drives.
However, Brock Bowers was able to put up another strong performance as he led all receivers in receptions and receiving yards with 10 receptions and 93 receiving yards. His 10 receptions brought his season total up to 43 and set a new rookie tight end record via Raiders PR:
TE Brock Bowers (@brockbowers) now has 43 receptions through his first seven career games, the most in NFL history by a tight end in their first seven career games, passing Keith Jackson (42 in 1988).
— Raiders PR (@RAIDERS_PR) October 20, 2024
During the draft process, Bowers was widely considered the best tight end prospect in the class, and he’s made good on those lofty expectations as he’s established himself as the new No. 1 target in the passing offense. With Davante Adams now with the New York Jets, Bowers will have every opportunity to lead the team in targets and receptions each week and add to his growing receiving totals.
While Bowers is a prominent building block for the offense, the team might need to consider seriously selling off other pieces to give itself more chances to expedite its rebuild. Las Vegas desperately needs a long-term answer at quarterback but also needs a running back and receivers to pair with Bowers.
It might end up being a lost season for the silver and black, but at least there’s some solace in knowing they hit on Bowers.
Antonio Pierce says it’s business as usual for Raiders following Davante Adams trade
Adams’ divorce from the Raiders seemed inevitable after all the drama and distractions the organization has endured the past few seasons. Losing Adams hurts the offense as a whole, but head coach Antonio Pierce said it’s business as usual for him and the team.
