The Las Vegas Raiders are off to a 1-3 start to the season and will take on the Indianapolis Colts in their Week 5 matchup. But they may be forced to do so without star tight end Brock Bowers, whose outlook looks to have worsened leading up to this matchup. He first suffered a knee issue in the opening week and has not looked like the best version of himself on the field since. Bowers was a non-participant in practice this week, which is a concern as he practiced in full last week. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that his knee has not responded to being out on the field, and he is trending toward missing the matchup against the Colts.
After earning All-Pro Honors and finishing second in Rookie of the Year voting last season with over 1,200 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns, Bowers has not gotten off to the same start. He had 103 receiving yards in the season opener, but he has been limited to 38 yards in Weeks 2 and 3. He added 46 receiving yards last week and has yet to reach the end zone this season.
Brock Bowers’ Injury Outlook
The Raiders are being strategic and cautious in how much information is made public regarding Bowers’ status. But it does not take an advanced eye to note he is not creating separation on routes or moving around the field at his usual standard.
The Georgia product deserves credit for playing through the issue, but there comes a point where common sense kicks in, and the decision is made based on what is best for the future of the player. If anything, it has looked like the outlook has worsened as the season progressed, and Bowers has echoed these sentiments. It is one thing to play through an injury in a high-stakes playoff game, it is another to do so for a 1-3 Raiders team with a quarterback who has seven interceptions already this year.
Monitor the injury report leading up to kickoff, but the reports coming out less than 24 hours before kickoff are not a positive sign. More updates will be added as they are provided by the team. It is also worth noting that TE Michael Mayer has also been ruled out for this game due to a concussion, leading to TE Albert Okwuegbunam being elevated from the practice squad.
For the time being, the Colts enter the matchup as seven-point favorites while the Raiders hold +270 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. The game total is set at 47.5 points.
