Despite not having their best offensive weapon available the first two weeks of the season, the Las Vegas Raiders have managed to start off 2-0 for the first time since 2021. The offense has played well, scoring 27 points in Week 1 and 26 points in Week 2.
There was hope that tight end Brock Bowers could play against the Los Angeles Chargers, but the Raiders decided to play it safe and sit him out. They have to feel great about the decision after pulling off another win.
However, the schedule only gets harder, so getting Bowers back is going to be very important. He returned to practice before the Chargers game, so he’s headed in the right direction.
According to head coach Klint Kubiak, Bowers was nearly ready to play against the Chargers, but just wasn’t quite there yet.
“(He’s) close,” Kubiak said after the game. “Very close. He looks great.”
The offense has already looked strong, but adding arguably the best tight end in the NFL to the group could mean big things. The Raiders play the New Orleans Saints in Week 3, so that could be the target date for Bowers to return. They could also wait until they face the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4
Tre Tucker Has First Big Game of Season
There have been a lot of questions about which wide receiver would step up for the Raiders this season, especially with Bowers out for the first two games. While it looks like the team may favor an approach that gets lots of different targets involved, Tre Tucker has a chance to put up big numbers this season.
After a quiet Week 1, Tucker came to play in Week 1, catching five passes for 119 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Kirk Cousins hit the speedster on a couple of deep shots, which was a very promising sign. Cousins really struggled throwing down the field in Week 1, but was much better against the Chargers.
Kubiak knows how important it is to throw the ball down the field.
“You don’t push the ball downfield, or you don’t get explosive plays, you don’t win games, usually,” Kubiak said. “So call shots, and if they’re there, you hit them. But if they’re not, you check it down. We had plenty of plays tonight where the quarterback made great decisions to check the ball down, and those can be explosive. So, great decision-making.”
Tucker Excited About Current Raiders Team
Tucker is only in his fourth season, but he’s already on his fourth head coach. So far, things are looking different. Tucker is very high on what the team can do this season.
“It’s gonna be a really fun year,” Tucker said. “We’re missing a really good guy (Bowers), who will be back soon. So, it’s gonna be fun when we have everybody out there showing their talents, showing that we can be very multiple and versatile. I’m very excited to see what we can continue to do.”
It’s still early in the year, but the Raiders are at least proving they won’t be an easy matchup like they were last season.
Klint Kubiak Reveals Brock Bowers News After Raiders Win