Raiders undeterred by long travel delay: ‘These guys didn’t blink’

NEW ORLEANS — A long, eventful travel day Saturday meant the Raiders didn’t arrive at their New Orleans hotel until after midnight CT on Sunday.

That led to a short night of sleep before their game against the Saints, which kicked off at noon. The Raiders were undeterred and beat New Orleans 25-10 at Caesars Superdome.

“It was pretty weird,” quarterback Aidan O’Connell said.

The Raiders were determined to not use the issues as an excuse.

“I told our guys, just get here for kickoff,” coach Antonio Pierce said. “It is what it is. You can’t control that. I wish we could. But these guys didn’t blink or finch. We got here at 0ne o’clock in the morning, got up this morning and rolled.”

The trouble started when the Raiders boarded their team plane for what was supposed to be a 10 a.m. PT flight from Las Vegas to New Orleans. A mechanical issue with the plane led to a long delay. Mechanics tried to fix the problem at first, but then it was determined the team needed a new ride.

The Raiders deplaned at noon and went back to the team’s headquarters in Henderson. Everyone was sent home afterward until the new plane was ready.

“I kind of got back home and my wife and my dog looked at me like, ‘What are you doing here?’” O’Connell said.

The delay meant the Raiders did their final team meetings at their facility rather than the team hotel, as they typically do the night before a game.

The Raiders eventually returned to the airport and took off for New Orleans around 7 p.m. PT. They landed in New Orleans at approximately 11:30 p.m. CT.

Bowers keeps breaking records

Rookie tight end Brock Bowers caught seven passes for 77 yards Sunday, giving him two NFL records and one franchise record.

Bowers, 22, has 108 catches for 1,144 yards after being selected with the 13th overall pick in April’s draft. The former Georgia standout eclipsed Mike Ditka’s record for receiving yards by a rookie tight end (1,076), which stood for 63 years after being set in 1961.

Bowers also now owns the record for most catches by any NFL rookie. Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua previously held it after recording 105 receptions last season.

Bowers owns the Raiders’ record for most catches in a single season as well. The previous mark of 107 was set by tight end Darren Waller in 2020.

“It has always been a childhood goal to play in the NFL. To catch as many balls as I have and get as many yards as I have is pretty shocking,” Bowers said. “It’s pretty cool.”

Bowers’ teammates are running out of adjectives to describe him.

“He’s super impressive,” O’Connell said. “He looks like a veteran out there and he has that presence about him. It’s been fun to have him and see his growth.”

Draft tumble

The Raiders’ second win in a row Sunday pushed them down the draft board.

They were projected to pick sixth in the draft entering Week 17. Their win Sunday pushed them down to No. 8.

The Raiders (4-12) finish their season next week against the Chargers. The lowest they can pick, even with a win, is 10th.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.