The Las Vegas Raiders got the Pete Carroll era off to a good start in Week 1 as they knocked off the New England Patriots by a score of 20-13.
It was also the first game for Geno Smith as the quarterback in Las Vegas, and he delivered in a big way. He went 24-of-34 for 362 yards and one touchdown.
Smith did a great job of distributing the ball to all his receivers, as six different Raiders had at least two catches. His favorite target was star tight end Brock Bowers, who finished with five catches for 103 yards. While he had a big game, he did suffer a knee injury that currently has him questionable for the game.
When asked about reporters if he was going to play against the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football, Bowers didn't confirm his availability.
"I'm not sure," Bowers told reporters on Thursday. "We'll see how it is feeling throughout the week, but I'm hoping to play."
Before he was playing in the NFL, he burst onto the scene as he played his college football at Georgia from 2021-23. During his time in Athens, he finished with 175 catches for 2,538 yards and 26 touchdowns. He helped the Bulldogs win two national championships, helping the team go 39-2 in his three seasons.
After the 2023 year, he announced he would be entering the NFL.
Bowers quickly showed why the Raiders took him with the No. 13 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, as he was the focal point of the offense the moment he took the field in Las Vegas. He finished his rookie year with 112 catches for 1,194 yards and seven touchdowns, quickly cementing himself as one of the top young players in the entire league.
Usually, Thursday practices are a very telling sign on whether or not a player is going to play in a game. However, since the game against the Chargers is on Monday, the fact that he has missed two consecutive practices doesn't necessarily mean he won't be able to play.
What he does on Friday for the Raiders at practice will definitely be more of an indication of whether or not he will be playing.
If he is unable to go, that would be a huge loss for the Raiders as they try to knock off their AFC West counterpart Los Angeles. Both teams enter this game at 1-0, and for the first time in what feels like years, have the Chiefs looking up on them in the standings.
The winner of this game will be off to a 2-0 start, so if Bowers is able to go, look for him to do whatever he can to be on the field.