The Las Vegas Raiders nightmare 2024 campaign continued in Week 11, as they suffered a 34-19 defeat at the hands of the Miami Dolphins to fall to 2-8 on the year. However, along the way, they received a historic outing from tight end Brock Bowers during what has been a dominant rookie campaign for him.
The Raiders offense has been plagued by inconsistent quarterback play this season, with Gardner Minshew IV and Aidan O'Connell both struggling during their time under center. However, that hasn't stopped Bowers from putting up some big numbers along the way.
That continued against the Dolphins, as Bowers hauled in 13 receptions for 126 yards and a touchdown, with Minshew frequently targeting him in this one. With that big day in the books, Bowers made NFL history, as his 13 catches are the most in a single game by a rookie tight end in NFL history.
Bowers has been arguably the lone bright spot on offense for Las Vegas this season, and he now has 70 receptions for 704 yards and three touchdowns on the year. Considering all the issues that the Raiders offense has endured, that has to be considered a miracle in its own right.
Beyond Minshew and O'Connell's struggles, virtually no one else has been a consistent option in the air to take pressure off of Bowers. It's worth noting again that this is just his first year in the NFL, so the fact that he hasn't been particularly phased with making the leap to the pros is even more encouraging.
The Raiders clearly have a stud in Bowers already, but they have a lot of work to do on offense to build the rest of their team up around him. Considering how desolate the rest of that unit has looked this season, it's going to take some time for that to happen unfortunately.
Las Vegas put up a valiant fight, but a loss is a loss, and they will now have to turn their attention towards Week 11 as they attempt to get back on track. Things won't be getting any easier for them, though, as their next contest will be against a divisional opponent in the Denver Broncos.
