Rookie Brock Bowers key in helping Raiders end 10-game skid

LAS VEGAS -- Snapping a 10-game losing streak, a team's longest specified in-season streak successful a decade, should usually beryllium origin for celebration.

But while the Las Vegas Raiders' 19-14 defeat of the Jacksonville Jaguars connected Sunday astatine Allegiant Stadium improved their grounds to 3-12, it besides dropped the quarterback-needy team's draught slot -- drastically.

The Raiders entered the time pinch the No. 2 prime (Shedeur Sanders? Cam Ward?). But aft their first triumph since Sept. 29, Las Vegas fell to No. 6, down the New York Giants, New England Patriots, Jaguars, Cleveland Browns and Tennessee Titans, according to ESPN Research, pinch 2 games to play.

A definite conception of embrace-the-tank fans were arsenic livid pinch the improvement arsenic the Raiders were thrilled pinch the win.

Polarizing, much?

"Talk to Tom Telesco," Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said pinch a grin of the team's wide head erstwhile asked his thoughts of fans focusing possibly excessively overmuch connected getting a precocious draught pick.

Added backmost Aidan O'Connell: "I don't publication anything, truthful I don't really perceive it. Ignorance is decidedly bliss and that's really I'm rolling."

Raiders proprietor Mark Davis, meanwhile, was thing but displeased pinch the win. He made the rounds successful the locker room, recognizing players for their efforts. On his measurement out, he spied Brock Bowers astatine his locker and made a speedy U-turn.

The Raiders rookie tight extremity was still trying to wrap his mind astir his latest tour-de-force erstwhile an excitable Davis trim his thoughts short.

"Congrats, man," Davis said arsenic he extended a manus toward Bowers. "Congrats. Really."

A stunned Bowers could only muster a quick, "Appreciate it," and Davis was off.

But not without the knowledge of Bowers' astir caller assemblage of work.

With 11 catches against the Jaguars for 99 yards, Bowers' 101 receptions connected the play are a grounds for rookie tight ends. And pinch 1,067 receiving yards, he is 10 yards distant from breaking Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Ditka's 1961 grounds for astir receiving yards by a rookie tight end.

Plus, Bowers' 101 catches are tied pinch Anquan Boldin for the third-most by immoderate rookie successful NFL history, and he is 5 distant from passing Puka Nacua's year-old rookie record.

"It's crazy," Bowers told ESPN. "It conscionable benignant of each runs together. Just seeing that number is crazy because I don't consciousness for illustration I've caught 101 balls. It's beautiful crazy erstwhile it each adds up for illustration that."

Numbers aside, O'Connell said he was astir impressed pinch Bowers' "accountability" arsenic a teammate.

"We inquire a batch of him and he answers the doorbell almost each time," said O'Connell, who targeted Bowers 13 times. "We're evidently ace fortunate to person a feline for illustration that connected our team."

The Raiders were linked to respective quarterbacks successful past year's draft, peculiarly Jayden Daniels, but were either unwilling aliases incapable to move up to prime one.

Instead, the Raiders stood pat and six QBs were gone earlier their action came up astatine No. 13. Rather than scope for a quarterback, Telesco pulled Bowers' card.

"I said it from the jump, right? He's each ball," Pierce said. "He's each business. He doesn't blink. He doesn't flinch. He wants to triumph and immoderate it takes to triumph -- if it's throwing him the shot aliases him blocking -- he'll do immoderate it takes. And again, I'm conscionable proud of his effort."

Neither the Raiders nor Bowers person looked backmost since.

Now they tin simply look guardant to games astatine the New Orleans Saints and a imaginable reunion pinch aged friend Derek Carr and a location finale against the squad they kicked disconnected the play against successful the apt playoff-bound Los Angeles Chargers.

So why not adjacent retired connected a three-game winning streak and further wreck their draught slot while Bowers obliterates the grounds book, right?

"I mean, we mislaid 10 successful a statement truthful coming successful here, the vibe's measurement better, let's put it that way," Bowers said.

"The vibe's conscionable done the tile compared to the past 10 games. I mean, that's conscionable awesome."