Las Vegas tight end Brock Bowers caught four passes in the Raiders’ regular-season finale on Sunday, tying New York wide receiver Malik Nabers for the NFL single-season receptions record.
Nabers briefly held the record after catching five in the Giants’ 20-13 loss at Philadelphia early Sunday afternoon to leave him with 109 on the season.
A few hours later, Bowers shook up his start a bit and hauled in all four of his receptions during the second half of the Raiders’ 34-20 home loss to the Chargers in Los Angeles. His 110th catch came on a 21-yard connection with Aidan O’Connell in the third quarter.
Bowers finished the season with 112 receptions, third-most by a tight end in NFL history. Zach Ertz holds the single-season record with his 116-catch campaign with Philadelphia in 2018.
Drafted 13th overall out of Georgia, Bowers became a quick weapon for Las Vegas and wound up planning the most productive first season with a tight end in league history. He set the record for receiving yards by a rookie tight end, surpassing the total of 1,076 yards set by Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Ditka with Chicago in 1961.
Bowers ended up with 1,194 receiving yards this season, tied for eighth most in the NFL. He also caught five touchdowns on a Raiders team that finished 4-13 and missed the playoffs for the third straight year.
Nabers finished his first campaign with 1,204 yards, just ahead of Bowers for seventh in the league, and seven touchdowns. The sixth pick of LSU was the highlight of New York’s horrendous century season, which saw a franchise-record 14-game losing streak, including 10 straight at one point, also worse.
His fourth catch Sunday gave him 108 on the year and passed Steve Smith (2009) for the Giants’ single-season receptions record.
–Field Level Media