Raiders first-half awards: MVP, LVP, MIP, and more
By Levi Dombro
Offensive MVP: Brock Bowers
This should come as no surprise to anyone that has tuned into a Raiders game this season.
Brock Bowers has had a historic rookie campaign, leading all NFL tight ends in targets, receptions, and yards. His shortcomings in the touchdown metric (he ranks 10th) are largely due to the ineptitude of the Raiders' offense to get in the end zone.
Not only are his numbers superior among those at his position, but he ranks third in catches, seventh in targets, and 10th in receptions league-wide. This includes all pass-catchers regardless of position, and he trails players in each metric who have played more games than him.
Bowers is the future of the Raiders' offense, and the fact that he has been able to accomplish so much this season with arguably the worst quarterback play in the league is a feat in and of itself.
One other aspect of Bowers' game that is incredibly underrated is his ability to make plays after the catch. He ranks first among tight ends and 10th in the league in yards after catch with 300 yards, which is over half of his season output (580 yards).
If the team can find a competent quarterback to pair with Bowers, the league may be in a bit of trouble. After all, he's doing all this as the No. 1 option on a struggling offense in his ROOKIE SEASON.
He may win this award every quarter for a decade.