The Las Vegas Raiders already have their hands full with a tough Indianapolis Colts team in Week 5 of the 2025 NFL season. It will be even tougher sledding, however, if they cannot take advantage of this obvious mismatch with star tight end Brock Bowers in the lineup.
Bowers has been nursing a knee injury ever since he left the game in Week 1 against the New England Patriots, but he has yet to miss a game. He has looked like a shell of himself out there, but he's been at least healthy enough to play.
Ahead of Week 4's showdown with the Chicago Bears, Bowers practiced in a full capacity for the first time since getting injured. This week, however, he trended in the wrong direction, not participating in either practice ahead of the Colts game.
Raiders' Brock Bowers now unlikely to play in Week 5 vs. Colts
Head coach Pete Carroll tried to reassure fans that Bowers was fine and was expected to play in Indianapolis. But most fans saw right through this and questioned why his practice participation would go down if he had not suffered a setback.
On Saturday afternoon, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that Bowers is now trending toward not playing on Sunday against the Colts. Rapoport stated that while Carroll expressed confidence in Bowers' ability to play, his knee did not respond.
It's amazing to see just how quickly his status changed, but more importantly, this is a reminder of how measured coaches and players are when speaking to the media. Bowers let that slip a bit when he talked to ESPN's Ryan McFadden on Friday afternoon.
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"I want to be back to going full speed, being able to separate from guys. I feel like I can't really do that to the best of my abilities right now."Brock Bowers
Fans should have known right then that Bowers was unlikely to suit up, even if he also told McFadden that he had felt better each week and hoped that the extra days of rest would help him play. Bowers also noted that he cannot share the specifics of his injury, which is never a great sign.
It seems that Las Vegas is all but certain to be without Bowers on Sunday, and to make matters worse, backup Michael Mayer has also been ruled out. Carter Runyon was signed to the active roster this week, and Albert Okwuegbunam was elevated from the practice squad again for Week 5.
But neither of those players can replicate what Bowers and Mayer can do for the Raiders' offense. The fan base is hoping that both of these players make a full recovery and can rejoin the team when they are 100% healthy, but for now, this paints a grim outlook for Sunday's matchup with the Colts.
UPDATE 10/5: ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Bowers has been dealing with a PCL injury and a bone bruise on his knee. Doctors have reportedly stated that the only way to heal is for Bowers to rest, which he has allegedly been unwilling to do. However, he is OUT for Week 5's game.