Several weeks ago, the Las Vegas Raiders were struggling, and the team responded by firing head coach Josh McDaniels, who seemed to have lost his players.
In came Antonio Pierce, who had less than two years of NFL coaching experience as a linebackers coach, as the Raiders’ interim head coach.
He instantly guided them to two straight wins, and after their subsequent three-game losing streak, he has gotten them two more wins in a row in the last two weeks over the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs.
People are wondering if Pierce may be on his way to eventually shedding his interim title, and via Dov Kleiman, he says that his best argument will be what happens on the field.
#Raiders HC Antonio Pierce speaks on his chances of remaining head coach next season:
“My resume is on the grass.”…
“Hopefully, Mark Davis sees improvement & growth in our team; he sees the style of play he wants from the Raiders.”
(h/t @Sean_Zittel)pic.twitter.com/ZEUDahzAqO https://t.co/cjjKJM7EJj
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) December 26, 2023
At the very least, Pierce seems to have the buy-in of his players, and that is a very valuable attribute that any leader in any field must have to succeed.
Against the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs, the Raiders led by as many as 10 points and held quarterback Patrick Mahomes to a rather forgettable performance.
Despite having just 48 net passing yards to the Chiefs’ 223 net passing yards, the Raiders were able to come away with a 20-14 victory.
Granted, they still have lots of work to do — they have a big question mark at quarterback, where rookie Aidan O’Connell replaced veteran Jimmy Garoppolo, and neither of them have exactly been impressive.
But they do have ample talent elsewhere on both sides of the football, and they could possibly have an adequate coach who their players will respond to.
NEXT:
Antonio Pierce Explains His Message For Raiders Players