Silver And Black Pride
The Raiders lost to the Jaguars 30-29 (OT) on Sunday and were powered by the return of All-Pro TE Brock Bowers. Bowers returned to the Raiders lineup after nearly 6 weeks out with a sprained MCL and other knee issues.
The 2024 first round pick logged 12 receptions for 127 yards and 3 touchdowns. Notably, Bowers generated an amazing catch towards the pylon that pushed the Raiders to break the games 0-0 tie late in the 2nd quarter. Bowers also generated 62 yards after the catch and continued to be a focal point in the Raiders offense after his return similar to his 2024 self. The Raiders also saw a change in their personnel staff, shifting to a career high 73% in terms of 12 personnel which also helped pave the way for Ashton Jeanty to log a strong first half on the ground before struggling the 2nd half. Chip Kelly has been a fan of 12 personnel throughout his career with the Eagles, and in college at UCLA and Ohio State.
The Raiders were heavy on 12 personnel in pre-season and in weeks 1-2 vs the Patriots and Chargers before seeing a serious dip into the season as Bowers went down with injury before Michael Mayer joined him as well for 2 weeks. Bowers also added a rush for 6 yards and first down, a trend that hopefully continues after Bowers success in college as a rushing threat allowing him to get into space and utilize his athleticism and power to generate yards. Bowers also added 16.3 EPA in his return averaging 1.28EPA/play, the highest of his career
Bowers continued his career trend of winning contested catches as well logging 2 contested catches on 3 targets with his touchdown having just a 37.2% chance to be completed, marking it as one of the better catches of the week. The Raiders offense runs through Brock Bowers, and to no surprise saw a little more success when utilizing him as the focus while also allowing for Bowers to open up more passing options for Michael Mayer, Jakobi Meyers, and notably Ashton Jeanty who logged 5 receptions for 47 yards and a touchdown.
