One of the main reasons the Las Vegas Raiders’ offense has struggled throughout the season is that All-Pro tight end Brock Bowers has been injured all year. Bowers was excellent in the season opener, but also suffered a knee injury that has hampered him since, playing through it for a couple of weeks before the Raiders finally decided to sit him down to allow him to heal fully.
The decision was the right one as Bowers returned completely healthy against the Jacksonville Jaguars and immediately looked like the best tight end in the NFL once again, finishing with 12 catches for 127 yards and three touchdowns.
Unfortunately for Bowers, his ridiculous individual performance wasn’t enough as the Raiders fell to the Jaguars 30-29 in overtime, failing on a two-point conversion to win the game. And afterward, Bowers admitted that it didn’t feel great to return in a loss, regardless of how well he played, via Vegas Sports Today:
“It’s not a great feeling. You want to come back in here and celebrate with the guys. Yeah it kinda sucks. You can’t really celebrate anything.”
With Bowers now healthy, the hope is that the Raiders can finally begin to find their stride offensively. Their 29 points were their most this season, and they had their highest yardage total since Week 4. And that has Bowers excited for what this offense can do going forward this season:
“I think we’re definitely still working on finding that identity, especially now that we’re getting everyone back to full strength. So I’m just excited to see what the rest of the year holds.”
The Raiders certainly have some promising pieces to build around offensively, primarily with Bowers and rookie running back Ashton Jeanty. The offensive line still needs to improve, and the franchise must find its long-term answer at quarterback, but Bowers is undoubtedly a keeper.
Now sitting at 2-6, the Raiders’ playoff hopes are essentially over, but if the team can find its identity and begin building and growing, it could set the foundation for future seasons, and Bowers will undoubtedly be a key part of that.
Could Raiders deal Jakobi Meyers at NFL Trade Deadline?
One player who might not be part of the Raiders’ future plans is wide receiver Jakobi Meyers. The two sides were unable to come to terms on a contract extension prior to the season, and now there seems to be a real possibility that the Raiders could deal Meyers at the upcoming NFL Trade Deadline.
