Raiders report: Star shrugs off knee injury, hopes to play Week 2

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Raiders star tight end Brock Bowers wasn’t overly concerned about the knee injury he sustained in the third quarter of Sunday’s 20-13 win over the Patriots at Gillette Stadium.

Bowers wanted to go back in the game, but was held out by the training staff.

“He wanted to go back in and they wouldn’t let him,” coach Pete Carroll said. “We figured we would watch the game and see how it went, but we didn’t have to do that. He’s an incredible player, so we need to have him.”

Replays appeared to show Bowers taking a shot to the knee at the end of a 38-yard catch down the left sideline. He then limped coming off the line of scrimmage the next play.

“I thought maybe I fell on it,” Bowers said. “I got up for the next play and it was a little sore so I just came out and got it looked at.”

Bowers indicated he hopes to be on the field when the Raiders host the Chargers on Sept. 15 at Allegiant Stadium.

“We have an extra day, so we’ll see,” Bowers said.

Bowers, 22, had a record-setting rookie season and on Sunday he picked up right where he left off. The No. 13 overall pick in the 2024 draft finished with five catches for 103 yards against the Patriots.

The Raiders also lost linebacker Elandon Roberts early in Sunday’s game to a sprained elbow.

“We’ll see what that means, but he’s tough as nails,” Carroll said. “So if he can come back, he will.”

Decent debut

Rookie running back Ashton Jeanty, the No. 6 overall pick in April’s draft, ran for 38 yards on 19 carries in his NFL debut. He added 2 yards on two catches.

Jeanty also fought his way into the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown in the third quarter that put the Raiders up 14-10. The team never trailed again.

“It was the first one. You only get one time to make that first impression,” Jeanty said. “So there were a lot of emotions going around, and I had to just stay levelheaded.”

Jeanty, the Heisman Trophy runner-up at Boise State last season, said starting the season 1-0 was more important to him than any of his statistics.

“It felt really good,” he said. “It’s hard to win in this league, so it’s exciting to see our team have success and come out with a win.”

Happy homecoming

Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers said several times over the summer he had the season opener circled on his calendar.

Meyers spent his first four NFL seasons in New England before signing a three-year deal with the Raiders in free agency in 2023.

The 28-year-old brought friends and family to Sunday’s game and showed them around his old stomping grounds. He played well, too, catching eight passes for 97 yards.

“You don’t want to come out here and then have to take a five-hour flight back home thinking about what you messed up and what was hurting,” Meyers said. “Getting the win with the guys, especially after what we went through last year, it’s a breath of fresh air.

“Now we get to go back to Vegas and get ready for the next one.”

Strong start

Wide receiver Tre Tucker had an impressive training camp. The 2023 third-round pick out of Cincinnati then built on it by catching two passes for 54 yards and a touchdown Sunday.

“It’s just a testament to hard work,” Tucker said. “I started all the way back in January. Took two weeks off after the season and went right to work. My whole thing is that Rome wasn’t built overnight, so I’ve just continued to get better, kept studying and trusting the process. At the end of the day, if you’re doing the right things, it will all align the way it needs to align. That’s what’s happening.”

Tucker’s 26-yard touchdown came on the opening drive. The Raiders’ offensive line picked up a nickel blitz, buying enough time for quarterback Geno Smith to drop a ball into the back of the end zone for Tucker.

“That’s one we repped for awhile,” Tucker said. “We had it early in the week and we knew the look we wanted to get against and that was a prime look for it. Nickel blitz and the safety was playing me flat-footed. That’s a good matchup. Geno saw it. I saw it. And we executed the play.”

Silencing doubters

Safety Isaiah Pola-Mao heard analysts express concern about the Raiders defense this offseason.

There didn’t appear to be any reason to worry Sunday. The Patriots’ lone points in the second half came on a field goal with 19 seconds remaining. At one point in the game, New England failed to score on six straight possessions.

“Everybody’s talking about how the defense is going to be the weakness of our team, but it’s great to come out and have that type of game for our defense,” Pola-Mao said. “But that’s over. Now we have to build on it.”

Pola-Mao was a key part of the Raiders’ defensive effort. He had the team’s lone interception and made seven tackles.

“I’m just doing my job,” Pola-Mao said. “I think it was Maxx (Crosby) that got the pressure (on the interception) and coach jokes about it all the time, but I just have to catch the ball. It was floating and I just had to come down with it.

“The coaches do a great job of putting us in position to make plays. You just have to capitalize.”

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