Week 18 key matchups: Bowers faces 3-time All-Pro

Time for a few young players to end the season strong

The season ends the same way it began for the Las Vegas Raiders, with a matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers. While there isn’t much at stake for the Raiders, several young players on the roster are looking to build some momentum heading into the offseason as a handful of them headline the Week 18 key matchups.

Brock Bowers vs. Derwin James Jr.

Fresh off re-writing NFL history, Bowers faces off against one of the league’s best safeties.

James is a three-time All-Pro who continues to play at a high level, ranking tied for 12th with at the position with a 74.1 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus. A big reason for that is he makes impactful tackles in the passing game, tying for the fifth-most defensive stops (17) or tackles that result in a “failure” for the offense.

Due to injuries, the six-year veteran has been asked to cover the slot for a career-high 346 snaps this season which is part of why the mark above doesn’t rank as high compared to more traditional safeties. But, make no mistake about it, he can still impact the game which the other figure shows and he’s only surrendered two touchdowns this season.

Meanwhile, Bowers has already proven himself and is in the discussion for Offensive Rookie of the Year. With 108 receptions and 1,114 yards, he leads and ranks second, respectively, among all first-year players. The No. 13 overall pick has also already emerged as one of the best tight ends in the league, topping the charts in those two categories including veterans.

So, what does Bowers have left to prove? If he can be productive against elite competition in the final week of the season, the chatter about him being the NFL’s top tight end will get even louder this offseason.

There was only one target between these two in Week 1, a catch for eight yards, so we haven’t truly seen this one-on-one battle yet and it should be worth the price of admission.

Tyree Wilson vs. Joe Alt

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images

Especially with Maxx Crosby sidelined over the last few weeks, Wilson has steadily been showing some growth this season.

His figures are up from last year with nearly a 25-point improvement in his PFF run defense grade (47.6 to 72.2) and 12 more pressures as a pass-rusher (36 in 2024) with only 17 more pass-rush snaps. Also, the second-year pro is coming off arguably the best game of his career, logging a personal best eight pressures and a strong 74.3 mark as a run defender.

Wilson is starting to build some confidence and it’s showing on the field with his performance. So, with one game left to play this season, his primary goal should be to end the campaign strong and head into the offseason with some momentum. However, that won’t come easy against an impressive rookie offensive tackle.

Alt has been stingy in pass protection this year, surrendering just 20 pressures in 15 games and only six offensive tackles with at least 500 pass-blocking snaps have given up fewer. Additionally, he’s only allowed more than two pressures in a single outing once this year. The Notre Dame product has also been impressive in the running game, ranking 24th at his position with a 74.0 PFF run-blocking grade.

This sets up for an intriguing matchup between two young players looking to make a name for themselves.

Michael Mayer vs. Daiyan Henley

This season hasn’t gone as hoped for Mayer. Personal issues kept him off the field for six contests in the middle of the year, and he’s only had one game with more than two catches and 14 yards. So, if there’s one player on the Raiders’ roster who could use a strong performance to close out the campaign it’s the second-year tight end.

But that won’t come easy since Henley has emerged as an impressive coverage linebacker this season. A former wide receiver, the 2023 third-round pick is a very good athlete to help blanket tight ends, and he ranks ninth this season with a 73.2 PFF coverage grade. A big reason for that is he has the most forced incompletions (nine) at the position, three more than anyone else.

The ground game is where Mayer could have an advantage, though. He’s posted a 64.5 run-blocking grade this season, a good mark for a tight end, and ranks 10th at the position with a 70.1 mark since returning in Week 11.

Meanwhile, defending the run was one of the big question marks surrounding the former Washington State linebacker in the draft. That being said, he’s been above-average in that department this season with a 64.0 PFF run-defense grade and 25 defensive stops against the run. The latter is good enough to rank tied for 25th among backers in 2024.

So, this should be a good battle between 2023 draftees.