In his first NFL season, Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers immediately established himself as one of the premier tight ends in the NFL. In his second season, he is setting out to prove that it was no fluke, and he got off to a strong start in the Raiders’ Week 1 victory over the New England Patriots.
Bowers finished with five catches for 103 yards in the Raiders’ 20-13 win on the road. And it would have been an even bigger day for Bowers, but the tight end suffered a knee injury in the second half and didn’t finish the game. This has obviously led to some concern about Bowers’ availability for the Raiders’ home opener on Monday night against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The tight end gave an update in an interview with Sirius XM NFL Radio, saying he feels much better than he did on the day of and feels the Raiders held him out more for precautionary reasons than anything else:
.@Raiders TE Brock Bowers on the connection he has built with QB Geno Smith and how HC Pete Carroll was fired up after the Week 1 win.
📻https://t.co/1Le6pnfIkL#Raiders | #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/oKnpl6FniZ
— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) September 8, 2025
It is good to hear Bowers saying the team was being more cautious than anything in keeping him out, and between this and the words of head coach Pete Carroll, it sounds as if Bowers avoided any serious knee injury. But whether or not he’ll be able to suit up for Week 2 remains up in the air as of now.
The extra day to prepare certainly improves Bowers’ chances of being on the field, but it is far from a guarantee, and the Raiders cannot afford to risk this knee injury becoming a more serious one this early in the season.
Bowers is one of the key players in this Raiders offense. If he is unable to play against the Chargers, the team will need Michael Mayer to step up in a big way, as well as increased reliance on players like running back Ashton Jeanty and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers.
QB Geno Smith sets Raiders franchise record in debut
Last season, Brock Bowers seemed to set a new record every week for the Raiders, but in Week 1 of 2025, it was new quarterback Geno Smith making history. Smith set a franchise record for passing yards in his debut as he threw for 362 yards in the Raiders’ win.
