Anonio Pierce is a huge reason for the Las Vegas Raiders' upset win over the Baltimore Ravens. (AP ... [+]
Antonio Pierce took over as the Las Vegas Raiders eight games into the 2023 season. They had just fired head coach Josh McDaniels and were looking for a stopgap internal option before a broader search after the campaign.
What followed was inspired play from the Raiders under Pierce. He posted a 5-4 record in nine games after being promoted from linebackers coach.
Without experience as a coordinator at the NFL level, most figured Pierce’s standing as a head coach would end on an interim basis. After all, Raiders owner Mark Davis is known for going big-game hunting.
Surprisingly, Davis opted for continuity and the culture Pierce provided by making him the Raiders’ full-time head coach early this year. It was not met with widespread praise around the NFL.
That came after several Raiders players, including star wide receiver Davante Adams went to bat for him.
Fast forward several months, and the Raiders entered their Week 2 road outing against the Baltimore Ravens at 0-1. They had put up a questionable performance in a Week 1 loss to the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers.
With Baltimore having come off a season-opening loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, most figured that it would take care of business against a lesser Raiders team.
That did not come close to happening.
Las Vegas went into Baltimore and defeated the Ravens by the score of 26-23 in what was one of the biggest upsets of the young NFL season.
The Raiders scored 13 unanswered points to conclude the game after they fell down 23-13 early in the fourth quarter on a Derrick Henry touchdown run. This span saw Adams catch four passes for 86 yards. Imagine that Getting the ball to one of the most-talented receivers in the game will result in success.
“I go back to when I first took over, and it’s like, ‘Hey, get the best player the ball,’ ” Pierce told reporters after Sunday’s win, via The Athletic. “He had 12 targets. We wish we had some more out there. I thought Gardner (Minshew), as the game went on, just kept taking shots. With the penalty or a big-time catch toe-tapping by Davante, it was just really good to see.”
One day earlier, Pierce had pulled Adams aside at the team hotel to discuss the frustration Vegas’ best offensive offensive player had displayed recently. Primarly, the lack of target he saw in Week 1’s loss to the Chargers (six).
Pierce was not ignoring the elephant in the room. Unlike Josh McDaniels, he wasn’t going to go about it in a defensive way. Unlike former Raiders head coach Jon Gruden, he was not going to let ego get in the way.
Minshew did his part in getting Adams involved. Pierce did his part in being a player-friendly head coach. The end result was an absolutely huge win for the Silver and Black.
Antonio Pierce Proves That He Can Get The Las Vegas Raiders Read To Play
Antonio Pierce's player-friendly mentality is a big story for the Las Vegas Raiders. (AP ... [+]
Down by 10 points in the fourth quarter on the road against a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Previous iterations of the Raiders would have folded under these circumstances.
Instead, Pierce got his team together to put up what is the best win for this team in years. No, we’re not including Las Vegas’ road victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day last season. After all, the Raiders were pretty much out of playoff contention at that point.
You need these defining wins early in the season in order to compete for a playoff spot. And while we’re not concluding that Sunday’s win makes the Raiders postseason contenders, it’s a necessary step in the right direction.
For Pierce, it was all about the Raiders being “disrepected” ahead of the game. He shared his thoughts with media after Sunday’s big win.
Pierce was also absolutely fired up after the win, something that he showed when he was the Raiders’ interim head coach last season. That included an NSFW post-game speech to his team in the Vegas’ locker room.
Raiders players go to bat for Pierce. His inspired coaching mentality adds something more to the mix when it comes to what is typically mere professional relationships.
It’s all about a change of culture. We’re not hearing the same drama-filled off-field issues as we saw under the aforementioned Gruden and McDaniels.
We’re also seeing renewed energy, starting with Pierce himself. The fact that he is not completely satisfied after Sunday’s surprising win adds another layer to this.
"Congratulations to our offense and our team, but we've still got work to do. There's a lot of meat on the bone," Pierce said, via the Las Vegas Raiders official website. "I'll be honest, we've got to run the ball better. But I do say this, we came out in the second half, especially late in that third quarter, protected the quarterback."
The Raiders now have a real opportunity to continues these good feelings moving forward. They host a winless and lowly Carolina Panthers team next week that has been outscored by a combined 60 points over the first two games. Don’t expect a let down in the Raiders’ home opener.
After that, Vegas will host the Cleveland Browns before visiting a talent-stricken Denver Broncos team.
Things can change. For now, the vibes are excellent in Sin City. It’s a far cry from Week 1.
