The Las Vegas Raiders started the season the way every team hopes to: with a win. Las Vegas defeated the New England Patriots 20-13, and like most Week 1 games, there were some things to be excited about, and also some concerning moments the team needs to address.
While Week 1 won’t define the season, the Raiders could have set some habits into motion that will benefit the team, and some that will harm them. For the harmful habits, the Raiders need to self-scout to identify them and quickly work to get rid of them.
Fortunately, ESPN’s Ben Solak has already called out one issue that the team needs to address quickly. In a recent piece, looking at several things that took place on opening weekend, Solak pointed out that the Raiders have an 84% pass rate when tight end Brock Bowers is on the field.
Chip Kelly did not disguise Raiders' offense in Week 1 vs. Patriots
To be clear, that means that Las Vegas dropped back to pass on 84% of the plays Bowers was in the game. Obviously, it’s a one-game sample size, but that’s too strong a tell for the Raiders to give to opposing defenses, and it could easily be exposed in the coming weeks.
Raiders TE Brock Bowers played 33 offensive snaps. Only 50% of Raiders team snaps.
— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) September 8, 2025
Chip Kelly called a dropback on 84% of Bowers' snaps.
Fellow TE Michael Mayer out-snapped him, playing 65% of the snaps. 54/46 pass/run split.
Pretty big tip of the hand there!
There were a lot of questions about Bowers’ usage early in the game, as fans quickly noticed how often he was off the field. Despite a record-breaking rookie season, Bowers only played eight of Las Vegas’ first 19 snaps on Sunday.
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He finished the game with exactly 33 offensive snaps, 50% of the Raiders’ offensive plays, but some of that was because of an injury he picked up late in the game. However, through three quarters, before the injury, Bowers played just 71.7% of the team’s plays, highlighted by Solak.
So, in addition to a concerning snap count, offensive coordinator Chip Kelly only seems to be bringing the tight end in on passing plays. While he’s an elite receiving threat and some would question his blocking ability, it’s a bad idea for the Raiders to show their hand like this.
Hopefully, this was just an odd thing that happened in Week 1, and not something that the Raiders will make a habit of. If it does become a trend for the offense, it would be a poor usage of Bowers and would also give opposing defenses an advantage.