Game Overview ::
By MIKE JOHNSON >>
- The Davante Adams saga/era is over for the Raiders, as they moved him to the Jets for a 2025 draft pick this week.
- Brock Bowers seems likely to lead NFL tight ends in targets this season as a focal point of the passing game.
- The Rams are hoping to get star wide receiver Cooper Kupp back after a 3.5-game absence.
- Despite a 1-4 record, Los Angeles is still within striking distance in its division and has a favorable schedule over the next few weeks.
- We should not expect either of these offenses to play at an especially high tempo, though they are both in position to have more success than we have seen from them recently.
How las vegas Will Try To Win ::
The Raiders inserted second-year QB Aidan O’Connell in the lineup last week and got steamrolled by the Steelers at home. The Raiders turned the ball over three times despite a very conservative offensive game plan that featured their running backs and short-area passing for as long as they could stick with it. Las Vegas is sorely missing playmakers, as Adams has been shipped out of town and Jakobi Meyers continues to miss time with an ankle injury. Meyers missed the Steelers game and has not practiced yet this week, either, leaving Bowers and speedy Tre Tucker as the best bets in the passing game. O’Connell has not been great last season or this season, while the Raiders rank dead last (32nd) in both rushing offense DVOA and Adjusted Line Yards. This is a bad combination when you are both inefficient and non-explosive in the passing game while also unable to create holes in the running game or have backs who can make something out of nothing.
The potential glimmer of hope for the Raiders this week is an above-average matchup with a Rams defense that has struggled this year, ranking 30th in both pass defense and run defense DVOA. The Rams rank among the league leaders in zone-coverage rate and Bowers leads all tight ends in receiving grade against zone. Bowers has a massive 30% target share over the last two games without Adams, and the Rams are not a team that is especially capable or focused on taking away one specific player. We should expect Bowers to be heavily targeted once again this week with a strong chance of success, and the Raiders’ offense is going to need him to produce if they want to move the ball. We know the Raiders are going to try to slow things down and protect their quarterback, and they may be able to at least sustain some drives after playing some really bad football the last two weeks. Even if those drives don’t all turn into points, avoiding three-and-outs while staying competitive in the field-position battle should help their defense out and allow them to stay competitive against a Rams team that is not built to be a “quick-strike” unit.
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