Are Opponents Terrified of Raiders Rookie Bowers?

The Las Vegas Raiders have arguably the best rookie from the most recent draft class. Raiders' rookie, TE Brock Bowers' success, has led to changes from opposing defenses.

Dec 8, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89) line up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders had what appears to be a generational tight end fall right into their lap during the most recent NFL Draft. Raiders' rookie tight end Brock Bowers has been everything he was expected to be.

Bowers has registered numerous historical records in just under an entire season in the National Football League. Bowers seems to make plays weekly and has grown into the team's No. 1 option since the departure of Davante Adams.

Bowers' success naturally caught the eyes of defensive coordinators around the league, especially those still remaining on the Raiders' schedule. Sunday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers built their defensive game plan around stopping Bowers, and they were successful.

Tampa Bay held Bowers to 49 receiving yards on three catches, and he was only targeted five times during the game. Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce noted the differences in how teams defend Bowers since he broke onto the scene.

"Yeah, me and Scott [Turner] talked about that this morning, just finding different ways to move him around, put him in different positions," Pierce said. "He's now becoming, obviously, a key factor for us, but also a key factor for teams to stop. And we are never going into a game not thinking about throwing to Brock [Bowers], let's put that out there first and foremost. He's our number one option and probably our last option. 

“We'll go through that. But you’ve got to be smart with the ball, and we can't force throws because that happened in the game as well. Forced the throw, and we got interceptions. So we got to be smart with that. But again, we are a more efficient offense when we get Brock [Bowers] going. And obviously, it was a big day for Big Mike [Michael Mayer]. It was good to see him going. So again, the way the game kind of shapes out each and every week is going to change, and you're going into it with one plan and
it creates opportunities for other players, and those guys have to step up as well."

The Raiders must continue to find ways to use Bowers weekly, as teams will continue searching for ways to stop him.

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