Ahead of Sunday’s matchup between the Raiders and the Giants, which is a crucial game, as the loser will likely finish with the worst record in the NFL this season and earn the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL draft, Las Vegas has placed Brock Bowers on injured reserve on Wednesday with a knee injury.
Bowers suffered the knee injury in the Raiders’ Week 1 matchup vs. the Patriots, and then after missing weeks 5-7 to heal up, the tight end finally looked healthy again with some strong performances, most notably in Week 9 vs. the Jaguars, when Bowers caught 12 of his 13 targets for 127 yards and three touchdowns. That being said, this move of placing him on injured reserve isn’t shocking, given this 2-13 Las Vegas team almost certainly wants to lose its final two games of the season.
Bowers will finish the season with 64 catches for 680 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 games. The 23-year-old is leading the Raiders with a 19.8% target share, and with Bowers out, Tre Tucker, Tyler Lockett, and Jack Bech will all see increased target shares, and Michael Mayer will likely operate as the team’s top tight end. In the three games Bowers missed this season, Mayer saw a target on 21% of his routes.
Following this news on Bowers, the Raiders have moved to a 1.5-point underdog vs. the Giants on DraftKings Sportsbook after opening as a three-point favorite.
