Raiders report: Brock Bowers’ highlight-reel TD catch goes viral

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Raiders star tight end Brock Bowers had no idea his highlight-reel touchdown catch in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 31-14 loss to the Chargers was blowing up on social media.

Actually, he still hadn’t even watched it.

“I don’t know,” he said of whether it was the best catch of his young career. “I haven’t seen the replay, but maybe.”

Bowers rotated his body and went down to the SoFi Stadium turf as he reached back with his left hand and kept the ball from hitting the ground with a defender draped over him.

“That dude is built different,” rookie wide receiver Jack Bech said. “There’s not many people on earth that can make that play. But he’s also a hard worker and deserves everything he gets.”

What he got Sunday was four catches on four targets for 63 yards and the Raiders’ two touchdowns.

He would have preferred a victory.

“It’s not fun,” Bowers said of the team’s sixth straight loss. “We come here to win games, and that hasn’t been the case.

“We just have to stay away from big negative plays like penalties, sacks and all of that stuff. If we stay on track, I feel like we’re a pretty good offense. We just have to stay on track with those third and manageables and keep driving.”

It also would help to keep getting the ball to Bowers.

Before his viral touchdown grab, the Raiders had run the same play only to have the Chargers call timeout just before the snap. Bowers heard the whistles, but decided to make a play on the ball and catch it anyway.

He wasn’t going to waste a chance to do it for real, though he insists he’s just playing on instinct.

“I don’t really think out there,” he said. “I just kind of see the ball come and do whatever I can to catch it. That’s kind of my mindset. I feel if I start overthinking, my game might not be as good.”

Making his debut

Rookie third-round pick Caleb Rogers made sure he was mentally prepared to make his NFL debut Sunday.

As soon as the coaches told him last week he would be playing, he went through a process he hoped would result in calming down his nerves.

“I took my time to feel how I wanted to feel about it and took my time to be excited for a little bit, then also reflect on where I’ve been and places I hope to go,” he said. “Then just get that mind straight to the fact it’s just football. I wanted to approach it like it was just another game. It’s the same sport. Not much has changed except the level we’re at. It’s the old saying, ‘Keep it simple, stupid.”

Rogers said the film will indicate how he did, but he thought he did some good things, particularly in the run game.

“It was incredible to get out there and get started,” he said. “Just taking it day by day and rep by rep and learning from every opportunity I get to try to dominate as much as I can. Just doing what the team needs me to do.”

Rogers rotated with practice squad call-up Atonio Mafi, something coach Pete Carroll said was part of the plan with Jordan Meredith out with an ankle injury.

“That’s about where it came out (in the competition) in practice,” Carroll said. “We felt they both deserved to have a shot, and we wanted to get them on film and find out. I’m really anxious to see what that looks like.”

Tackling machine

Safety Jeremy Chinn led the team with 17 tackles, including a hit on Justin Herbert that injured the Chargers’ quarterback.

It’s the third-most in a game by a Raiders defender since 1987 and the most by a defensive back.

It’s also the ninth-most tackles for any defensive back in that span.

Herbert left the game briefly with a left hand injury. After the game, coach Jim Harbaugh said his quarterback would undergo surgery Monday to repair a fracture in the hand. Harbaugh said he wasn’t sure if Herbert would miss any games.

Futility continues

The Raiders (2-10) were eliminated from playoff contention and moved up to No. 4 in the NFL draft order by virtue of the Jets’ victory over the Falcons.

Sunday marked the fourth consecutive game in which the team has allowed at least four sacks and rushed for less than 75 yards.

The Raiders are the second team to do that in the Super Bowl era, joining a 2016 Browns team that finished 1-15.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.