LAS VEGAS — I have to admit, my morbid curiosity got the best of me.
I passed on the Golden Knights’ Sunday practice at City National Arena, where I could’ve met Bruce Cassidy’s dog, to attend the Jacksonville-Raiders game at Allegiant Stadium.
As you might’ve expected, it was a sloppy, penalty-filled affair with a lot of empty seats. I guess Christmas shopping took precedent over football.
And as tempting as it might’ve been to leave early, I stayed until the end and I witnessed the Raiders’ 10-game losing streak come to an end as they had just enough in the tank to top the Jaguars, 19-14.
“Long overdue,” Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said of getting a W. “Glad to see all those smiling faces.”
Admit it, if you’re a Raiders fan, you’re probably not overly thrilled with the outcome. After all, your team has been in the hunt for the No. 1 overall pick in next April’s NFL Draft and beating Jacksonville is not the way to get there.
The Giants, the other team in the mix for the top pick, know what they’re doing. They showed up in Atlanta as lackluster as a team can perform and let rookie QB Michael Penix beat them 34-7 to drop to 2-13.
The Raiders? They can’t even lose the right way. At 3-12 they’re hanging with the Browns, the Patriots and the Titans, along with the Jags. Right now, Las Vegas is picking sixth in the draft. That’s not going to get them the quarterback they so desperately need.
But the coaches and players won’t apologize for winning. Nor should they. This team refuses to go into the tank.
Yet, in a season that can be summered up in one word — disastrous — for the Raiders, there has been one constant ray of light that has shined through the darkness.
So in the spirit of the holiday season, let us focus on something positive, shall we?
When general manager Tom Telesco was unable to move up in the 2024 NFL Draft back in April, and it was evident the Raiders were not going to select a quarterback at No. 13, Telesco opted to take Brock Bowers, a tight end from Georgia.
Never mind the Raiders already had a good, young tight end in Michael Mayer. Telesco and the football scouting department were confident they found a good player to improve Las Vegas’ offense.
Turns out they were right.
Bowers has had an exceptional rookie season and will likely be the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year. He has put up record numbers, the likes of which haven’t been seen in the league since Mike Ditka came into the NFL in 1961. And we all know how things turned out with him.
That’s not to say Bowers will be a 21st Century Ditka. But he’s off to a very good start. He had a team-best 11 catches Sunday on 13 targets for 99 yards. He has 101 catches and 1,067 yards for the year, making him just the third player in NFL history to achieve that. He passed Kyle Pitts (1,026 yards) to become the second all-time leading rookie TE in terms of receiving yards. He needs nine yards in his final two games to break Ditka’s rookie record for a TE of 1,076 yards. However, Ditka did it in a 14-game season. Bowers will need 16 games, maybe even 17, to surpass Iron Mike.
Bowers has not let losing beat him down. He shows up every day ready to get better. Pierce has loved coaching him and while Bowers singlehandedly can’t make the Raiders a good football team, he gives them someone that opposing teams must respect and game-plan for, regardless who is Las Vegas’ quarterback.
Aidan O’Connell, who missed last week’s game vs. the Falcons, came back and knew who to look for. He targeted Bowers 12 times.
“The thing I’m most impressed with Brock is his accountability,” he said. “When he messes up, which isn’t often, he owns it and tries to be better the next play.
“He’s a tremendous talent and he’s been great for us all season.”
Bowers said for him, it’s about getting better learning to be a professional.
“I feel like all the reps have helped,” he said. “It’s like the game has slowed down as the year’s went on.”
Pierce said of Bowers: “I said it from the jump — he’s all ball, all business. He doesn’t blink. He doesn’t flinch. He wants to win. Whatever it takes.”
And with Christmas just days away, things are a little happier around the Raiders.
“It’s good to stop talking about losing,” Pierce said.