Raiders Have Some Important Numbers To Use As Takeaways

The Las Vegas Raiders may not believe in moral victories, but they do have some takeaways from their 30-27 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs that have nothing to do with that. They’re all about the numbers, as Levi Edwards of Raiders.com did a fun piece about some good ones and bad ones that were part of the game.

Brock Bowers: 2,076

The Chiefs were able to slow Bowers down to some extent, but he followed up winning the AFC Offensive Player of the Week award with six receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown against the Chiefs.

That gave Bowers 2,076 career receiving yards in 31 career games, That ties him with Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow Sr. as the second-fastest tight end to reach 2,000 career receiving yards in NFL history, trailing only former Chicago Bears Hall of Fame tight end  Mike Ditka, who did it in 30 games.

If you’re looking to the future for Bowers, consider that the 23-year-old now has192 career receptions, which passes  Jason Witten’s 188 receptions for the most receptions by a tight end under the age of 24 in NFL history.

Kirk Cousins: 11 

Cousins is still tied with San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy for the league-lead in passing touchdowns with 11, which is all the more remarkable considering what he has for receivers. 

Cousins threw a lot more than the Raiders would have liked against the Chiefs, completing 31-of-52 passes for 365 yards and two touchdowns. It was his first time throwing for over 300 yards with the Raiders, and the last time he did it is more recently than you’d think back in Week 15 of last year.

Matt Gay: 4 

Gay was an unsung hero for the Raiders against the Chiefs, three of them coming from beyond the 40-yard line. The most noteworthy one was the one taken off the board in the third quarter from 41 yards out, and Gay is now 10-for-10 on the season and 9-for-9 on extra points. He hasn't missed a field goal since Week 11 of last season.

Running Game: 117

This one’s the big negative. The Raiders were outgained by 117 yards on the ground. Kenneth Walker III, who continues to lead the league in rushing yards, ran for 177 yards and two touchdowns in Allegiant Stadium. Meanwhile, the Las Vegas ground game continues to shrink, as the Raiders got just 72 yards for the day.