Raiders’ Antonio Pierce Explains Controversial Punt Decision vs. Chargers

Getty Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce.

It was a very poor start to the Las Vegas Raiders‘ 2024 season as the team lost 22-10 to the Los Angeles Chargers. However, the game could’ve looked a bit different.

In the fourth quarter, the Raiders were at the Chargers’ 43-yard line when they landed on 4th & 1 down six points. Instead of going for it, head coach Antonio Pierce opted to punt the ball. That was a very rare decision to make. According to Sportradar, it was the first time a team elected to punt in a similar situation since the Buffalo Bills did it in 2016, per a September 8 X post from the Associated Press’s Josh Dubow.

The decision didn’t work out as the Chargers quickly marched down the field for a touchdown, sealing the win. Pierce explained his rationale following the loss.

“We considered going for it,” Pierce said of the decision in his September 8 postgame press conference. “It was a long one. I mean, we got stopped earlier in the game. Punter had done a good job pinning those guys back. I think we had two or three punts inside the 20. Defense was the strength for the most part of the game. Keep [the Chargers] backed up with three timeouts.”

Las Vegas Raiders’ Offensive Struggles Continue

The Raiders offense finished 23rd in the NFL in scoring last season and there was hope the group could improve this season. Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy is an experienced playcaller and the added quarterback Gardner Minshew and tight end Brock Bowers.

It appears those additions didn’t lead to much improvement. The offense could only muster 10 points and turned the ball over three times. That’s not even counting the fact that the team turned the ball over on downs in the first quarter.

Minshew did complete 25-0f-33 passes for 257 yards but didn’t make enough plays to score points. The Raiders also only averaged 3.2 yards per rushing attempt. The team wasn’t expected to have a great offense heading into the season but the Week 1 showing was about as bad as it gets.

What’s Next for Las Vegas Raiders?

This was a very important game for the Raiders to win as the schedule doesn’t get any easier. The team travels to Baltimore to play the Ravens in Week 2, which will be a difficult matchup. The Ravens had the best record in the AFC last season.

An 0-2 start to the season seems very likely. Now, the Raiders do play the Carolina Panthers at home in Week 3, which should be a win. The Panthers had the worst record in the NFL last season and lost 47-10 to the New Orleans Saints in Week 1.

That said, the Raiders aren’t going to be competing for a playoff spot if the offense doesn’t improve. The defense played very well for the majority of the game but ran out of gas in the fourth quarter. That should be a strong unit this season. It was a strong unit last season but the team was only able to win eight games.

Unless the offense can score points more consistently, they won’t be competitive. The defense can only take them so far. The Raiders have plenty of good players on offense so it’s still possible that the group will improve as the season goes on.