There is not much to love about this current season for the Las Vegas Raiders. Entering Week 8, the Raiders are the only team in the AFC West that has a losing record (2-5). The Davante Adams experience came to an abrupt end. After the wide receiver requested a trade, Las Vegas eventually shipped him to the New York Jets. This Raiders squad is again searching for answers at quarterback moving forward. And most of all, any fire that the team found last year under Antonio Pierce appears to be all but gone with him assuming full-time head coaching duties.
There has been one consistent bright spot on offense for the Raiders, though. And perhaps best of all, that is coming from a rookie. It has been few and far between that this franchise has found pillars via young players. But so far, tight end Brock Bowers has been a home run as a first-round draft selection.
Due to his play and usage in the early part of the season, Bowers presents a matchup that has snuck its way into the spotlight for Sunday. The Chiefs will have to be well prepared to take on the Georgia product.
Bowers At Top Of Tight End Leaderboard
Entering this week, Brock Bowers leads all tight ends in catches (47) and receiving yards (477), as mentioned by Josh Dubow of the Associated Press. Bowers is doing that as a rookie, no less. Dubow also mentioned how Kansas City is allowing the most catches and the most receiving yards per game to tight ends in 2024.
With that being said, it felt like Kansas City had done a better job against opposing tight ends the last couple of games. George Kittle had one long catch last week, where most of his production originated. And against the Saints, the Chiefs limited the yards allowed to Juwan Johnson and Foster Moreau on a combined seven catches. Compared to the first few weeks of the year, Kansas City has been able to limit some wide-open looks or lessened the yards after the catch. However, there are multiple reasons as to why the matchup against the rookie from Georgia must be monitored.
Incredible Athleticism
Brock Bowers is listed at 6'4'' and 230 pounds. Yet, the incredible athleticism and speed that he shows at his size is truly remarkable. Those elements are part of the reason why he is such a dangerous weapon after the catch. As we have seen in the NFL and during his college career, Bowers is not going to go down via simple tackle attempts. Kansas City will have to continue to tackle well and take acute angles to Bowers when he has the ball in his hands. He is capable of turning a short catch into an explosive gain at any moment.
Bowers Becoming The Go-To Target
Brock Bowers has already been a go-to target for the slumping Raiders offense. But obviously, that is going to be emphasized even more with the aforementioned trade of Adams to the Jets. Bowers has 24 more targets than the next closest player on the Las Vegas offense. And now with Aidan O'Connell set to miss this game against the Chiefs, Kansas City will see the wild and erratic Gardner Minshew. Minshew may not always be perfectly accurate. But if there is one thing he has displayed since entering the NFL, he is not scared to take some chances and pull the trigger down the field. He will not be afraid to push it vertically, if given the opportunity. As a result, the Chiefs will hope to limit how many easy releases Bowers has off of the line of scrimmage on Sunday.
Raiders Utilizing Bowers In Multiple Areas
Brock Bowers has been utilized in many different alignments so far in his rookie campaign. Throughout the first seven games, the Raiders have put the tight end in the slot (165 total snaps), out wide (50 total snaps) and even in the backfield (five total snaps) outside of the traditional inline position. In fact, his snaps in the slot are greater than the amount of snaps Bowers has received inline (125 total snaps) this season.
While inline, he is able to make an impact in both the run and the pass game. Do not be surprised if Bowers ever runs the ball, as well. He was effective on some carries where he would come in motion and receive a quick handoff in college. The Raiders have given him one carry already. With all of that in mind, so much attention has to be placed on Bowers, due to the various places that he will align.