A rather dejected Brock Bowers stood at his locker before the local media after objectively the best game of his career.
He respectfully grinned a few times when asked questions about returning back to the field. Over the last month, he's been out of action nursing a knee injury and while labeling it a "frustrating" experience, he made up for lost time Sunday.
But after scoring a career-high three touchdowns, with 12 catches for 127 yards, there's no solace. Bowers' return will serve solely as a exceptional individual performance, as the Raiders came up a point short and fell to the Jaguars, 30-29.
"It's not a great feeling," Bowers said. "You want to come back in here and celebrate with the guys. Yeah, it kind of sucks. You can't really celebrate anything."
But win, lose, or tie, it would be irresponsible not to acknowledge what Bowers did in this game.
His first touchdown grab was a SportsCenter Top 10 Plays moment, as he reeled in the ball with one hand at the goal line and fell into the end zone. Initially ruled out of the bounds, a replay showed that Bowers, quite literally, landed his butt into paydirt.
"I thought maybe," Bowers said of if he initially thought it was a touchdown. "When they called it, I was pretty bummed at first. But it was fun."
His second touchdown, if anything, proved Bowers was back to full strength. Following the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter, the tight end got open in the middle of the field and flat out sprinted past the entire Jaguars secondary for a 27-yard gain to retake the lead.
"He's one of the best players on our team, one of the best players in the NFL," Geno Smith said postgame. "He just makes my job so easy. He does everything so well. He made some phenomenal catches today.
"A lot of those catches a lot of guys don't make. You can just see his impact on the game when he's out there. He's such a dynamic player. At one point, they were double-teaming him, triple-teaming him trying to stop him and that just opens the field for the rest of the guys."
Bowers' third touchdown almost won the game for the Silver and Black. In order to stay alive in overtime, they needed to respond with at least seven points after the Jaguars marched down for a score. At the two-yard line, Smith saw Bowers getting separation in the back of the end zone and hit him in stride.
Yet the three touchdowns obviously weren't enough, as a two-point conversion to take the lead was batted down at the line of scrimmage.
"We didn't come here to tie," Bowers said. "We wanted to win, but it's kind of a shame that it ended up like that."
Bowers credited the tight end room for keeping his spirits high while working through the injury. And even in defeat, Pete Carroll saw a lot of positives to take away from how the offense looked. Of course, Bowers' performance is atop that list.
"Could it be more obvious what a great player that he is?" Carroll said. "And we have the way to get him the ball. They hooked it up great. Chip got him open, Geno hit him. Efficiency was great. … His run after catch was excellent. His playmaking was excellent."
"There's a lot of positives. We played well," the head coach added. "We did a lot of good things today. Our resolve about hanging tough and keep coming back and keep working to finish."
Now all the Raiders can do is prepare as quickly as possible for their road Week 10 matchup against the Denver Broncos, with three days of recovery until then.
As for Bowers' performance, it will still rank among the best for tight ends in franchise history – and his fantasy football owners will be thankful.
But for the All-Pro tight end and a Raiders team that falls to 2-6, it still indeed kind of sucks.
View photos from the Raiders' Week 9 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson (8) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Adam Butler (69) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Adam Butler (69) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (16) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer (87) and linebacker Jon Rhattigan (59) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders safety Isaiah Pola-Mao (20) and defensive tackle Adam Butler (69) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders safety Tristin McCollum (27) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders safety Tristin McCollum (27) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders safety Jeremy Chinn (11), defensive end Maxx Crosby (98), defensive tackle Adam Butler (69) and linebacker Elandon Roberts (52) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Devin White (45) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders offensive lineman Stone Forsythe (70) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Jonah Laulu (96) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Charles Snowden (49) and linebacker Elandon Roberts (52) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders safety Isaiah Pola-Mao (20) intercepts a pass during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders safety Isaiah Pola-Mao (20) celebrates with teammates after intercepting a pass during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders tackle DJ Glaze (71) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
The Las Vegas Raiders huddle during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders safety Isaiah Pola-Mao (20) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Leki Fotu (95) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Darien Porter (26) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Tyree Wilson (9) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders safety Jeremy Chinn (11) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Adam Butler (69) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (16) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders guard/center Jackson Powers-Johnson (58) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders center/guard Jordan Meredith (61) and guard Dylan Parham (66) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer (87) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89) makes a 7-yard touchdown catch during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89) makes a 7-yard touchdown catch during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Cody Lindenberg (55) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders center/guard Jordan Meredith (61) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Raheem Mostert (31) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson (8) kicks a 24-yard field goal during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Jamal Adams (33) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders safety Isaiah Pola-Mao (20) and defensive end Malcolm Koonce (51) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders safety Isaiah Pola-Mao (20) and defensive tackle Jonah Laulu (96) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Devin White (45) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (16) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Raheem Mostert (31) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) runs after making a 15-yard touchdown catch during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) runs after making a 15-yard touchdown catch during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) runs after making a 15-yard touchdown catch during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) celebrates after making a 15-yard touchdown catch during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) celebrates with offensive lineman Stone Forsythe (70) after making a 15-yard touchdown catch during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty (2) celebrates with running back Raheem Mostert (31) after making a 15-yard touchdown catch during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Jon Rhattigan (59) and linebacker Tommy Eichenberg (44) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders safety Jeremy Chinn (11) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Eric Stokes (22) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) sacks the quarterback during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) sacks the quarterback during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) celebrates with teammates after sacking the quarterback during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders safety Isaiah Pola-Mao (20) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders safety Isaiah Pola-Mao (20) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Raheem Mostert (31) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer (87) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89) runs after making a 27-yard touchdown catch during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89) runs after making a 27-yard touchdown catch during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89) celebrates after making a 27-yard touchdown catch during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89) celebrates after making a 27-yard touchdown catch during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89) celebrates after making a 27-yard touchdown catch during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Decamerion Richardson (25) and kicker Daniel Carlson (8) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Adam Butler (69) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Adam Butler (69) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Raheem Mostert (31) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Tre Tucker (1) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Tre Tucker (1) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89) makes a 2-yard touchdown catch during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89) celebrates after making a 2-yard touchdown catch during the regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium.
