After dropping four straight games following a hot start to the 2026 NFL season, the Las Vegas Raiders are hoping to bounce back in Week 8 when they hit the road to face Geno Smith and the New York Jets.
Currently, the Raiders are slight underdogs, with the Jets favored to come out on top in Sunday’s game at MetLife Stadium at -1.5.
However, Las Vegas did just get some good news regarding arguably their best player, star tight end Brock Bowers.
Brock Bowers Was Full Participant in Raiders Practice
Heading into Week 8, Bowers has been dealing with a calf issue, which, considering his injury history, was something to monitor
Fortunately for Las Vegas, the one-time All-Pro appears to be trending in the right direction, as he was a full participant in Thursday’s practice session, according to Sam Warren of The Athletic.
Brock Bowers was a full participant, as was Kwity Paye and Quay Walker.
In the five games he’s played this season, Bowers has racked up 455 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 34 receptions.
Solid numbers, as usual for who many believe to be the best tight end in the NFL right now.
Another step in the right direction for the Raiders is the status of wide receiver Jack Bech, who also was a full participant in Thursday’s practice.
There’s a chance that the second-year wideout is available to play on Sunday, giving veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins another weapon downfield, which bodes well for the offense against the Jets’ defense.
Bech has played in only three games this season, catching five passes for 48 yards and a touchdown.
The numbers might not be huge, but he’s got good chemistry with Cousins and should make the offense that much more potent in the passing game on Sunday.
Even though Bowers and Bech are headed in the right direction before the Week 8 matchup against the Jets, the same can’t be said for guard Jackson-Powers Johnson.
According to Warren, Johnson did not participate in Thursday’s practice due to a back injury, which obviously isn’t great news in terms of whether he’ll suit up for Sunday’s game in New York.
The Raiders’ offensive line has had its fair share of issues this season, so this is not a great development ahead of their game against the Jets.
Ashton Jeanty Takes Subtle Shot at Jets Defense
The 2026 NFL season hasn’t exactly been a solid year for star running back Ashton Jeanty, who had high hopes of taking his game to another level.
Although Jeanty has made tremendous strides in Klint Kubiak’s offense as a pass catcher, the run game for the Raiders has left a lot to be desired, with the second-year back rushing for 328 yards and only one touchdown in seven games.
Fortunately, he has made up for it somewhat with 312 receiving yards and three touchdowns, but the team needs a serious boost in the run game.
Jeanty’s comments about the Jets defense might not help matters, as he claims some of New York’s players simply “don’t really want to tackle” and that he’s not going to call anyone out by name, via Warren.
“I think we can definitely get the run game going, get back on track and just really get after these guys,” Jeanty said. “Couple guys out there that don’t really want to tackle, but I’m not gonna say names.”
The worst thing a player can do, especially on a team that has lost four straight games, is to give the opposing team more motivation, which is exactly what Jeanty has done here.
Raiders’ Brock Bowers Takes Important Step Ahead of Jets Showdown