Antonio Pierce got choked up as he was discussing the effort of the Raiders following a stunning victory on the road against the defending-champion Chiefs on Christmas.
While the Raiders entered the day as 10.5-point underdogs, they defeated the Chiefs 20-14 at Arrowhead Stadium in a game they were leading for about the final 35 minutes.
In his postgame interview with CBS Sports sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson, Pierce was emotional about his team’s performance.
“Hell of a job by those guys,” Pierce said.
“Our staff — [defensive coordinator] Patrick Graham. It’s tough,” he continued, fighting back tears.
Graham’s defense scored touchdowns on back-to-back possessions in the second quarter — one when a fumble from Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco got returned eight yards for a touchdown by Raiders defensive tackle Bilal Nichols, and another when Jack Jones intercepted a Patrick Mahomes pass intended for tight end Justin Watson and returned it 33 yards for a score.
Overall, the Raiders defense held Mahomes, the league’s reigning MVP, to just 235 passing yards on a paltry 5.3 yards per attempt.
The defense played so well that it didn’t even matter that Raiders quarterback did not complete a pass in the game’s final three quarters.
As the Raiders were kneeling the ball to run out the clock, CBS’ lead color commentator Tony Romo sang Pierce’s praises.
“Great job by Antonio Pierce who deserves — I think he should be the head coach next year,” Romo said.
“He’s an outstanding coach. He was a great football player. He knows the game at a very high level. He communicates, he creates a culture, and we’re seeing the dividends right now.”
Pierce, who was a linebacker on the 2007-08 Super Bowl champion Giants, took over for Josh McDaniels midseason this year and the Raiders have gone 4-3 under his leadership after starting the season 3-5.