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Not many thought they could do it but the Las Vegas Raiders just beat the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day in their home stadium with an interim head coach.
The players have been working hard to get Antonio Pierce to earn the full-time head coaching job and may have sealed the deal for him with the 20-14 win.
After the game, it was clear how emotionally invested Pierce was in winning this game.
“This is what we wanted,” Pierce told the CBS Sports broadcast after the game while holding back tears. “We said, ‘Enough is enough.'”
Heading into the game, the Chiefs had won six straight games against the Raiders. Patrick Mahomes had only lost to the team one time in his entire career. The Chiefs have struggled this season but they were still widely expected to beat Las Vegas.
The Raiders were coming off a historic 63-21 win over the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 15 but they clearly haven’t taken their foot off the gas. While the team still needs a lot to happen to get into the playoffs, they helped their chances a lot with this win.
Has Antonio Pierce Earned the Raiders’ Head Coach Job in 2024?
From Week 11 to Week 14, the Raiders had a three-game losing streak that culminated with a 3-0 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. After that, it looked like there was little chance Antonio Pierce would be back as the head coach next season.
In two games, Pierce has led the Raiders to their highest-scoring effort in franchise history and just beat the defending Super Bowl champions on their turf. While anything can happen, it’s looking like the Raiders’ head coaching job is his to lose. Considering he has the team playing this well after an awful start that led to former head coach Josh McDaniels getting fired, he’s proving that he at least has potential at the position.
The NFL’s Rooney Rule forces the Raiders to interview at least two external minority candidates for the head coaching job but it could be a waste of time. The players love Pierce and are playing very hard for him. It’s going to be difficult for owner Mark Davis to look at his players and tell them that he’s going to make a change.
Las Vegas Raiders Still Have Offensive Issues
Antonio Pierce and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham have the defense playing at an incredibly high level. The group scored two touchdowns against the Chiefs, which is what led to the Raiders taking control of the game early.
However, it’s hard to ignore the offensive struggles. The group just recently put up a scoreless effort against the Vikings a couple of weeks ago and could only muster six points against the Chiefs.
Quarterback Aidan O’Connell and offensive coordinator Bo Hardegree haven’t shown enough to prove they should stay in their roles next season. If Pierce gets the full-time job, he’ll likely bring in a new quarterback and offensive coordinator. O’Connell has upside as a backup but hasn’t proven he’s a capable starter. Hardegree has flashes of strong playcalling but he’s young and likely needs more experience. The Raiders need a more experienced play-caller.
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