The Las Vegas Raiders want to do a lot differently Sunday when they host the Buffalo Bills than what they did in a 45-17 road loss at the New England Patriots on Sunday.
Chief among those changes is getting tight end Michael Mayer more involved. The fourth-year tight end played a season-low 65 percent of the Raiders’ offensive snaps Sunday. It was his lowest snap percentage of the season by a lot. He played from 80-88 percent in the first four games.
Raider Nation, take the conversation everywhere!
The SB Nation app keeps you connected to fellow
Raiders fans before, during and after every game.
- Join the live game-day chat
- Enjoy fewer ads
- Move seamlessly between communities and conversations
- Comment and post faster
Download the SB Nation app on iOS or Android.
While he didn’t play as much, Mayer, who signed a a three-year, $45 million contract extension last month, wasn’t involved much when he was on the field. He was targeted just once and he finished with one catch for two yards at New England.
Mayer had 20 catches for 169 yards on 24 targets in the first four games. Kubiak blamed himself for Mayer not being more involved in Week 5.
“Just myself. Didn’t give him enough opportunities,” Kubiak said of Mayer’s lack of involvement. “We gave him one early in the game. Ithink they had a penalty on. So, I think overall, that was a game of a lot of seven-man protections that he was involved on. But at the end of the day, it’s my job to get all players involved. So, when they are not involved, then it falls on me.”
Kubiak knows the Raiders’ offense runs at its best when Mayer and star tight end Brock Bowers are both a big part of the attack. Getting back to that approach against Buffalo, which has struggled in pass defense this season, will be vital.
