Tight end could rewrite the history books on Sunday
This Week 17 contest between the Las Vegas Raiders and New Orleans Saints features two teams that have been eliminated from the playoffs as both clubs are building for the future at this point in the season. So, this week’s key matchups focus on young players with something to prove.
Brock Bowers vs. Alonte Taylor/Ugo Amadi
In fairness, Bowers has already proven himself this season as he leads all tight ends in receptions (101) and receiving yards (1,067). Also, he’s the only player at the position who currently has cracked triple- and quadruple-digits in those respective categories. Additionally, he ranks fifth with 2.03 yards per route run, per Pro Football Focus.
The rookie broke a handful of records last week, but he does have one more chance to rewrite history this season. Bowers needs just 10 yards to surpass Mike Ditka for the most receiving yards by a first-year tight end in league history, an honor Ditka has held for 63 years. Luckily, the No. 13 overall pick has a favorable matchup to accomplish the feat.
According to PFF, Bowers spends 55.1 percent of his pass snaps as a slot receiver and the Saints primarily use two defensive backs to cover the slot.
Taylor is their primary nickelback who is a strong run defender but struggles in coverage, allowing a 72.0 completion percentage and 916 yards for a 35.3 coverage grade this season. Last week against the Green Bay Packers, he only surrendered 38 yards but 30 of those came against Packers’ tight end Tucker Kraft.
Granted, Taylor has been lining up in the boundary more often recently due to injuries in New Orleans’ secondary. However, Amadi hasn’t been much better in coverage, yielding a 74.6 completion rate for 419 yards and a 55.8 mark over nine games.
So, Bowers should be etching his name in the history books this weekend.
Tre Tucker vs. Kool-Aid McKinstry
Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images
Sticking with the Raiders’ passing game, Tucker finished 2023 strong and has quietly been having a good campaign in 2024. He’s already more than doubled his catches from last season, going from 19 to 42, and has logged 160 more receiving yards with 491 through 15 games.
That’s decent production from a third pass-catching option, especially considering Las Vegas has had three starting quarterbacks this season. But the second-year pro is still looking to have a statement performance to end the season on a high note and build some momentum heading into year three.
In a similar boat, McKinstry will likely be a starter in New Orleans next season. The front office traded Marshon Lattimore at the deadline and Paulson Adebo is an impending free agent. So, the rookie is also hoping to build up some confidence over the last two games.
McKinstry has been up and down this season. He’s played in 12 games with seven starts and given up a 67.4 completion percentage, 348 yards and one touchdown to earn a slightly above-average 61.8 PFF coverage grade.
That sets up for an interesting one-on-one battle with Tucker, featuring two players who are looking to take the next step in their young careers.
Tyree Wilson vs. Taliese Fuaga
While fans have grown frustrated with Wilson given how high he was drafted, the Texas Tech product has grown this season.
He’s become a solid player for the defense, especially against the run where his PFF grade has improved by nearly 25 points from 2023; 47.6 to 70.1. Wilson has logged 13 defensive stops as a run defender at a 9.4 percent rate which ranks tied for eighth among edge defenders.
Meanwhile, Fuaga was known for his run-blocking skills coming out of Oregon State and hasn’t disappointed in that department. The rookie currently boasts a 71.0 PFF run-blocking grade, the fourth-best mark of all first-year offensive linemen and second-best among offensive tackles.
Granted, both players could use some work in the passing game. Wilson’s 28 pressures are tied for 51st at his position and 9.6 percent pass-rush win rate is tied for 73rd. Meanwhile, Fuaga has given up the third-most pressures (37) of any rookie tackle and is in the bottom five for efficiency rating (96.0).
In other words, this matchup will be a matter of strength-on-strength and weakness-on-weakness as two young players look to find their footing in the NFL.