Week 14 features an AFC West contest between two teams that are headed in opposite directions, with the 2-10 Las Vegas Raiders in contention for the No. 1 overall pick and the 10-2 Denve r Broncos fighting for the one-seed in the AFC playoff picture. Given the Raiders’ standing, this week’s key matchups for Las Vegas will continue to focus on the team’s young players or the ones who have something to prove.
Brock Bowers vs. Pat Surtain II
A tight end against a cornerback isn’t a typical one-on-one matchup, but Bowers isn’t a typical tight end. He’s been the Silver and Black’s top receiver over the last two years and currently leads the team with 49 catches, 573 yards and five touchdowns despite missing three games with a knee injury.
The second-year pro had a well-documented historic rookie season, shaking plenty of defensive backs to become a First-Team All-Pro. However, one player whom he struggled to break free from was Surtain.
While Bowers had eight catches for 97 yards and a touchdown in his first game against the Broncos last year, the majority of that production came in the first half as Denver made a halftime adjustment by putting the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year on him. In the second contest, defensive coordinator Vance Joseph wisely continued that strategy and limited the tight end to four catches and 38 yards on 10 targets.
According to Pro Football Focus, Bowers was targeted four times with Surtain guarding him last year and only caught one pass for nine yards, while the cornerback logged an interception and a pass breakup to account for two out of the three incompletions. Especially considering the Raiders aren’t exactly flush with talent out wide, expect Joseph to roll out a similar gameplan this Sunday.
Surtain was injured when these teams met about a month ago, so this will be Bowers’ first chance to get some retribution. That won’t come easy, though, seeing as the reigning DPOY is having another strong campaign. He currently ranks tied for 16th among qualifying cornerbacks (minimum 106 coverage snaps) with 14.8 coverage snaps per reception allowed and is tied for 10th with nine forced incompletions, per PFF.
Tre Tucker vs. Riley Moss
DENVER, COLORADO – NOVEMBER 6: Tre Tucker #1 of the Las Vegas Raiders gets set during the first half of an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field At Mile High on November 06, 2025 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images) Getty Images
Sticking with a battle in the passing game, while Las Vegas doesn’t have many proven weapons, Tucker has put together a career year this season. He’s already set personal bests in receiving yards (550) and touchdowns (five) and needs just four catches to complete the trifecta. But a lot of that production came when Bowers either wasn’t fully healthy or was sidelined.
If the third-year pro is going to establish himself as the Raiders’ No. 2 option moving forward, then he needs to show that he can be productive while sharing the field with a healthy Bowers. And Tucker should have plenty of opportunities if Surtain is on the tight end.
Moss’ numbers aren’t the prettiest, allowing the fifth-most receiving yards among corners (545) and four touchdowns (tied for the 12th-most) to earn a slightly below baseline coverage grade (59.0) from PFF. However, that’s the result of playing opposite arguably the best defensive back in the NFL, as the 2023 third-round pick has drawn the most targets (77) at the position.
So, those figures are slightly misleading, as Moss has done a solid job of preventing completions given the volume of targets. His 53.5 completion percentage when thrown at ranks 20th among corners, and a 17 percent forced incompletion rate is also in the top 20. For the record, he’s second at the position with 13 forced incompletions.
That sets up for an intriguing battle between a couple of 2023 third-round picks.
Malcolm Koonce vs. Garett Bolles
To be honest, Koonce’s tenure in Las Vegas already looks like it will be coming to an end.
Last year’s torn ACL appears to have taken a significant toll on his skillset, as he doesn’t look like the same player who enjoyed a breakout campaign two years ago. For comparison, he logged 52 pressures on 344 pass-rush snaps for a 15.1 percent pressure rate in 2023 and is down to 20 pressures on 231 opportunities and 8.7 percent this season, per PFF.
Meanwhile, the impending free agent’s playing time has been significantly reduced over the last four weeks. He was averaging about 30.4 snaps per game during the first nine contests, but that figure has dropped to below 19 over the last month. In other words, Koonce is running out of time and opportunities to prove himself.
That being said, the pass-rusher did record a sack against the Browns and Chargers to potentially build some momentum to close out the campaign. However, that will be a tall task against Bolles on Sunday.
The Broncos’ blind side protector is one of four offensive tackles to record at least 280 pass-blocking snaps and not allow a sack this season, and he’s recorded the 10th-most pass-blocking snaps (506) at the position, per PFF. Additionally, Bolles is tied for second with just 13 pressures yielded—trailing only Andrew Thomas, who has had over 100 fewer opportunities in pass protection.
So, Koonce will have a tough time keeping his streak alive this weekend. But if he does, that could be the spark he needs to finish the season strong and build some momentum heading into free agency.