In the mind of Las Vegas Raiders coach Klint Kubiak, tight end Brock Bowers didn’t practice enough to play Sunday afternoon in a 26-14 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
But he’s due to return this week to practice.
Kubiak announced the star pass catcher is set to practice in preparation for Sunday’s matchup against the New Orleans Saints at Caesers Superdome. Bowers missed the team’s first two games after undergoing a left meniscus trim, though he worked out pregame at SoFi Stadium and was “very close” according to Kubiak.
The Raiders are one of eight unbeaten teams, having also beaten the Miami Dolphins without Bowers, a first-team All-Pro as a rookie and a walking mismatch who dominated during training camp. Added Kubiak, speaking Monday at Intermountain Health Performance Center: “Brock has worked his tail off. He put himself in position to practice this week.”
Additionally per Kubiak, safety Treydan Stukes is in the NFL’s concussion protocol while cornerback Darien Porter’s status at practice this week is not yet determined. Porter started against Miami opposite cornerback Eric Stokes but didn’t finish play with a foot injury. Hezekiah Masses started at cornerback Sunday alongside Stokes.
Here are other takeaways from Kubiak’s news conference:
Sticking with the run
Inefficient production Sunday didn’t discourage Kubiak from dialing up runs for Ashton Jeanty, who rushed for 48 yards at 2.3 per carry. Jeanty rushed against Miami for 102 yards on 23 carries, but the Chargers sought to slow him down and allowed the Raiders to beat them elsewhere.
Committing to running plays with Jeanty helped quarterback Kirk Cousins with play-action passes, including touchdowns to Tre Tucker and Cody White.
“That’s always going to be a part of it,” Kubiak said. “Cousins did a great job of going through his progressions and getting it to the back when it wasn’t there.”
Too many hits
Cousins was sacked twice and hit 10 times, prompting Kubiak to call for improved pass protection. This after he wasn’t sacked at all and hit but twice in the opener. The pressure didn’t rattle Cousins, who delivered accurate passes regardless — and whom the Raiders want fresh at 38.
“He’s a competitor. He wants to win. That’s why he’s here,” Kubiak said, highlighting the 42-yard completion to Tucker during which he was hit. “
Underdog mentality
The Raiders posted a clip to social media of Kubiak’s postgame speech Sunday, during which he highlighted the Chargers as 7-point favorites before their matchup
“You do something they said you can’t. Seven-point ’dogs. F—- that,” he said impassionately.
Asked about whether external doubt is a motivating factor for Las Vegas this season, Kubiak said in the NFL, “it’s hard to move the ball, it’s hard to stop people. Best athletes in the world. Especially with our team, we have an underdog mentality and we have a lot to prove. You don’t prove it in two games. So, we’ve got to prove it every week.”
Learning to win
Leading by three in the final quarter when linebacker Nakobe Dean forced a fumble, returned by safety Jeremy Chinn into the red zone, the Raiders scored a touchdown to give them a 10-point lead in the closing minutes. That’s the type of “complementary football” Kubiak wants to Las Vegas to play amid its rebuild as it learns how to win.
“Earlier in the game … we got the ball and didn’t punch it in the red zone,” he said, referencing four straight ineffective runs that preceded a turnover on downs by the goal line. “But we finished the game off with a touchdown there. That’s what good teams do. That’s what we’ve got to keep doing.”
Contact Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on X.
