It didn’t take long for Brock Bowers to remind the Raiders what they had been missing in their 35-27 win over the Saints to move to 3-0.
asserted
they → take → 3
Making his season debut Sunday against the Saints, the star tight end caught 10 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown, with several receptions worthy of the highlight reel.
asserted
end → make → reel
The Raiders had managed to win their first two games without Bowers.
asserted
Raiders → manage → Bowers
That spoke to the foundation coach Klint Kubiak was establishing and quarterback Kirk Cousins’ ability to make it work without his most accomplished pass catcher.
asserted
it → speak → catcher
But there is a difference between compensating for someone’s absence and taking advantage of everything he offers.
asserted
he → be → everything
Bowers wasted little time illustrating it.
asserted
Bowers → waste → it
His seven catches for 87 yards in the first half helped fuel four scoring drives, giving Cousins a dependable connection and the Saints another problem to solve.
asserted
catches → help → problem
And he kept adding to that production, showing how valuable his presence can be to an offense still discovering its potential.
asserted
presence → keep → potential
His impact extends beyond the passes thrown his way.
asserted
impact → extend → passes
Bowers’ ability to threaten the middle of the field forces defenses to devote attention that might otherwise go toward helping against Tre Tucker and the Raiders’ other receivers.
uncertain
that → threaten → Tucker
Extra resources committed to Bowers can create opportunities elsewhere.
asserted
resources → commit → opportunities
For Kubiak, that expands the possibilities.
asserted
that → expand → possibilities
For Cousins, it provides another answer.
asserted
it → provide → answer
That becomes especially valuable when the running game struggles, as it did again Sunday.
asserted
it → become → ?
The Raiders still need to establish more consistency on the ground, but Bowers gives them a difference-maker capable of helping overcome those shortcomings.
asserted
Bowers → need → shortcomings
The encouraging part is that he returned to an offense that had already found contributions from other pass catchers and helped deliver consecutive wins.
asserted
that → return → wins
Now the Raiders can build on that foundation with their best offensive weapon back in the lineup.
asserted
weapon → build → lineup
Sunday offered a compelling look at how much more dangerous that can make them.
Raiders Pass Rush Shows up When Needed
asserted
Rush → offer → look
For most of Sunday’s game, the Raiders struggled to make Tyler Shough uncomfortable.
asserted
Shough → struggle → game
And the takeaways were no where to be found
Then
asserted
takeaways → find → ?
, on fourt traight fourth-quarter possessions, their pass rush helped turn the game as did their ability to take the ball away from opponents.
asserted
ability → help → opponents
A forced fumble recovered by Maxx Crosby and an interception by Zeke Masses — his third in two games — gave the Raiders’ offense two opportunities to change the direction of the afternoon.
asserted
fumble → force → afternoon
The offense cashed in both, converting the takeaways into touchdowns and turning a five-point deficit into a 35-27 lead.
asserted
offense → cash → lead
And another example of the complementary football that is becoming an encouraging part of the Raiders’ identity.
asserted
that → become → identity
Then, with the Saints driving to potentially tie the game late in the quarter, Jeremy Chinn forced yet another fumble while sacking, and then stripping the ball from Shough on a fourth and one from the Raiders’ 20.
asserted
Chinn → drive → 20
Cornerback Taron Johnson fell on it for the takeaway.
asserted
Johnson → fall → takeaway
The Saints had spent much of the game limiting the Raiders’ pass rush by getting the ball out of Shough’s hands quickly.
asserted
Saints → spend → hands
An imposing defensive front had been unable to consistently impose itself, leaving the secondary with little help against the New Orleans passing game.
asserted
front → impose → game
But the Raiders kept coming.
asserted
Raiders → come → ?
And when they finally created disruption, they made it count.
asserted
it → create → disruption
Crosby’s recovery gave the offense a chance to capitalize.
asserted
recovery → give → chance
Masses’ interception provided another, continuing a productive stretch for a defender developing a knack for finding the ball.
asserted
interception → provide → ball
Just as important was what happened next.
asserted
happened → happen → ?
Takeaways create possibilities.
asserted
Takeaways → create → possibilities
Turning them into touchdowns changes games.
asserted
Turning → turn → games
The Raiders had spent the first half settling for field goals on three of their four red-zone possessions, leaving themselves with a smaller cushion than their opportunities suggested they could have built.
uncertain
they → spend → cushion
This time, they finished.
The defense supplied the openings, and the offense supplied the points.
asserted
offense → finish → points
Neither unit had been consistently sharp enough throughout the afternoon, but in that critical fourth-quarter stretch, they gave each other exactly what was needed.
asserted
what → give → stretch
That is how a team can overcome an uneven performance.
asserted
team → overcome → performance
And it is how the Raiders put themselves in position to win another game.
asserted
Raiders → put → game
…and 19 more, not listed.
The Aporia
