Brock Bowers vs. Derwin James
A disclaimer: The jury is still out on if Brock Bowers will be able to play Monday after suffering a knee injury against the Patriots that kept him out of practice Thursday afternoon. Fortunately for the Raiders, they have an extra day to monitor his status for the primetime game.
“We’ll see what happens,” Carroll said of both Bower and linebacker Elandon Roberts’ game status. “They’ve got to practice through the week and make it through it, but just in the walk throughs and already, they look fine.”
Obviously if Bowers suits up, he’ll have a big role in the Raiders gameplan. He totaled 103 yards on five catches against the Patriots, averaging a whooping 20.6 yards per reception. He also accumulated 55 yards after the catch and 4.9 yards per route in Week 1, both of which led all tight ends (min. 10 routes), according to Next Gen Stats.
“Brock is an elite weapon, we’ve seen it now a few times,” Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said. “Your hands are full when he’s out there. He’s a receiver, he’s a tight end, he’s an electric athlete. Yards after the catch, catch and run, he can do all that.”
Considering the threat the All-Pro tight end poses, many defenses have been deploying cornerbacks to cover him – hence Carlton Davis III and Alex Austin shadowing him throughout the season opener. The Chargers have a dynamic safety in Derwin James, who can not only bring the boom downhill in run defense but is an asset in coverage as well. In 2024, James limited tight ends to 3.5 yards per target and 2.3 YAC per reception as the nearest defender in coverage, both the second-fewest by any defender (min. 15 targets) against tight ends.
“He’s a special athlete, a special player,” Bowers said of the Chargers safety. “I mean, you can see that every time he plays. So, I’m excited for the opportunity, like last year, just going up against him. It should be a good matchup.”
In his two games against the Chargers last season, Bowers totaled 10 receptions for 108 yards and a touchdown.