Getty

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll.

The Las Vegas Raiders‘ offense hasn’t been able to get going this season, and they got some unfortunate news heading into their Week 4 matchup against the Chicago Bears.

In Week 3, tight end Michael Mayer was forced to leave the game early due to a concussion. He has missed practice all week, as he has been in the NFL’s concussion protocol. Unfortunately for the Raiders, he’s not going to be ready in time for the Bears game.

The team announced on their Friday injury report that Mayer has officially been ruled out.

This wouldn’t be as big a concern if Brock Bowers were 100%. He’s clearly been hampered in the last two games and hasn’t been as effective. However, he has been a full participant in practice all week, so he may be ready to have a bigger role.

Mayer continues to deal with setbacks early in his career. When the Raiders drafted him in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, expectations were very high. He’s missed a lot of time due to injuries and off-the-field issues. He still hasn’t had a real chance to truly show what he can do. Here’s hoping he can get back on the field soon and start making an impact in the passing game.

Pete Carroll Talks Bowers

Bowers is coming off a historic rookie season for a tight end and got off to a big start in Week 1, having five catches for 103 yards against the New England Patriots. Unfortunately, he suffered a knee injury that knocked him out of that game early.

He has only had 38 yards in back-to-back games and just isn’t making the same impact. While Bowers is getting better, head coach Pete Carroll revealed that he’s going to have to keep wearing a knee brace.

“He’s been making it,” Carroll said Wednesday. “They’ve treated him well and got him to play in these games. He’s still wearing a legitimate brace that he can feel, but he’ll continue for another couple weeks having to wear that brace to be safe.”

Jakobi Meyers Not Worried About Bowers

Bowers is arguably the Raiders’ best player, so if he’s not able to play to his usual standard, that’s a big problem. That’s been proven by the fact that the team is 0-2 in the last two games.

Luckily, he’s not dealing with anything too serious. Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers doesn’t seem too worried about Bowers going forward.

“I mean, I can’t quantify it, but I would tell you it’s very stressful, especially when you’re young, you didn’t win the game, you know you could help the team, but Brock’s going to be alright,” Meyers said Wednesday. “Lord willing, Brock will have a long career in the NFL. He’s going to make a lot of plays. He’s going to bounce back. I think it’s tough not being able to do something that you know you can do and you want to do it in that moment, it’s going to be tough on you.”

If the Raiders want to get back in the win column, they need Bowers to be a factor in Week 4, especially with Mayer out.