The Jacksonville Jaguars have a solid reason to be worried about the upcoming Sunday Night Game against the Las Vegas Raiders. After keeping their star tight end, Brock Bowers, out for almost five weeks now, head coach Pete Caroll dished out a positive update on his injury. The good news didn’t end up just here, as he also unveiled his plans of bringing in Adam Bulter anytime soon.

The struggles for the Las Vegas Raiders could possibly reach a conclusion. After their disappointing 31-0 defeat against the Kansas City Chiefs, Pete Carroll is all set to cherish a ray of hope. Sharing an overview of the team’s practice sessions ahead of their week 9 game, the 74-year-old mentioned how Brock Bowers’ return nears.

“Thrilled to have him back,” he said, while making it clear that the tight end is getting back to his full potential as he attended the recent practice sessions.

However, the update wasn’t just about their tight end. Carroll also showed optimism about their defensive tackle, Adam Butler’s speedy recovery. “He’ll probably practice on Friday,” he said, sounding more hopeful about having him in the lineup this weekend.

The chaos for the Raiders started after Brock Bowers injured his left knee (a PCL injury plus a bone bruise) during the season-opening game (Week 1 vs the New England Patriots). He played through the injury for the next few weeks (Weeks 2-4) with a brace, but failed to sustain through the post-injury hassles.

Adam Butler, on the other hand, suffered a back injury during pre-game warmups ahead of the Week 7 matchup vs the Kansas City Chiefs. He was ruled out for the game. While he had been a starter in the last six games of the season, his absence could prove to be a big deal amid the team’s ongoing struggles (2 wins and 5 losses).

Pete Carroll shares his learnings from their recent loss to the Chiefs

Despite a rough start to the 2025 season, Pete Carroll remains quite optimistic while preparing for the Week 9 game. The Raiders are currently 2-5 and sitting fourth in the AFC West. This strengthens the fact that their offence has ranked near the bottom in major statistical categories. However, it appears that the mastermind coach has adopted a revamped strategy to focus on long-term goals.

“The Bye comes at a time for us, it was crucial. And we need all the help we can as a new team putting this together. We had to take some hard lessons in this one,” he said, reflecting on the lessons from their recent loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Further highlighting the importance of Brock Bowers and Adam Butler’s return, he added:

“If Maxx is playing for us full speed, and Brock is playing for us full speed, we can use those two key players as instruments for our success and make them have to deal with us.”

Carroll not only expects improved results with the key players’ return but also looks forward to great things coming from the addition of veteran wide receiver Tyler Lockett. However, it still remains to be seen if they manage to get their 3rd win of the season on Sunday Night Football.