The Las Vegas Raiders got tight end Brock Bowers back at practice yesterday, but he probably won't play against LA.
The Las Vegas Raiders were hoping that tight end Brock Bowers would be a full-go as he returned to practice on Friday, but Ryan McFadden of ESPN said Bowers is “unlikely” to play against the Los Angeles Chargers after being listed as doubtful on the team’s injury report.
Bowers’ status has been a guessing game all week long, with coach Klint Kubiak constantly playing the day-to-day card. Bowers has missed five practices along with the Raiders’ 27-13 win over the Miami Dolphins last Sunday, and according to McFadden he wore a sleeve without a brace during practice.
The Raiders played this game with Bowers unsuccessfully last season after his early knee injury, so the odds were tilting in advance against his playing. Kubiak said the Raiders would “be smart” and listen to the athletic trainers, although involvement of wellness coordinator Alex Guerrero in the decision should terrify anyone familiar with Guerrero’s sketchy history with the New England Patriots.
Kubiak also said he didn’t know exactly when the injury occurred, so vagueness is the operative word to describe this situation.
It is a smart move if the Raiders do indeed keep him out, but it could also be costly. According to a different ESPN report from McFadden, Kris Rhim, Seth Walder and Ben Solak, the limitations of quarterback Kirk Cousins were “glaring.”
Cousins picked up two picks on wounded-duck throws over the middle against Miami, and Las Vegas will likely be looking at a lot of stacked boxes on defense from the Chargers on Sunday. The Chargers were embarrassed by the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1, so they’ll be looking to atone in a big way.
The Raiders will have an injury counterpart on the Chargers side, as the status of receiver Ladd McConkey has also been in doubt during the week. McConkey left LA’s loss to Arizona, and the Chargers offense sputtered after that. New offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel is now officially on the hot seat as he tries to get QB Justin Herbert going.
This game will be an interesting test for the running back combination of Ashton Jeanty and rookie Mike Washington Jr. Jeanty has a chance to join Marcus Allen as the only running back in Raiders history to start the season with back-to-back 100-yard games, but he may see find himself struggling to find holes once again.
The Raiders will be trying to steal a game here against a better team on paper, but it will be a tough road to hoe with Bowers out.
