Bowers Can Break Rob Gronkowski’s Receiving Record Against Seahawks

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers can break a record Rob Gronkowski has held since 2014 when the Seattle Seahawks visit Allegiant Stadium on Sunday.

With 70 receiving yards, Bowers would become the first tight end in NFL history to reach that mark in eight consecutive games.

Bowers has reached 70 yards in all seven of his appearances this season.

Gronkowski put together his seven-game run with the New England Patriots in 2014, according to the NFL’s Week 10 milestone report.

Bowers enters Sunday with 48 catches for 658 yards and six touchdowns. His receiving yardage leads all NFL tight ends.

The streak has included three 100-yard games. Bowers opened his season with 116 yards against New Orleans, had 110 against New England and tied Gronkowski last week with seven catches for 111 yards and a touchdown in a 38–17 loss to San Francisco.

His closest call came against Buffalo, when he finished with exactly 70 yards on four catches, according to his NFL game log.

Bowers reached another milestone during the streak. In the Raiders’ win over the New York Jets, he caught seven passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns and passed Hall of Famer Mike Ditka for the most receiving yards by a player other than a wide receiver through his first 35 NFL games.

Reaching 70 yards on Sunday would also move Bowers ahead of Gronkowski on a separate career list.

Both have 18 games with at least 70 receiving yards in their first three seasons. A 19th would put Bowers alone in third among tight ends, behind George Kittle’s 21 and Jimmy Graham’s 20, with the rest of his third season still ahead of him.

Bowers will chase the record with a new starting quarterback. Rookie Fernando Mendoza makes his first NFL start after the Raiders traded Kirk Cousins to Minnesota.

Bowers gives Mendoza an established target against a Seattle defense that allowed opponents to convert just 30.6% of their third downs through Week 9. Keeping drives alive would give the two more chances to connect.

Bowers has averaged 94 receiving yards per game this season. He needs 70 on Sunday to move past Gronkowski on both lists.