Antonio Pierce’s message to the Las Vegas Raiders heading into their final two games of the season was simple. While their poor record put them out of the playoff race weeks (months?) ago, they still had plenty to play for. The team’s younger players are trying to prove why they deserve bigger roles next year. The veterans set to test free agency are hoping to show why they should get paid. And Pierce and his staff are coaching for their jobs.
“Finish, improvement, progress,” Pierce said last Friday, “and end on a high note.”
With the Raiders’ 25-10 win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, they gave themselves a chance to do just that. After suffering through a brutal 10-game losing streak, they’ve won back-to-back games to improve to 4-12.
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“It’s a process,” Pierce said Sunday. “(We’re) just staying true to it. These guys are really buying in, especially late in the season. That’s the way it’s gone, but I’m really, really, really proud of these guys, man. It’s not easy being in that situation that we’re in. A lot of guys could go either way — they could’ve gone the opposite (way), and they have not. They’ve stuck to the script.”
The Raiders were knocked off script when they traveled from Las Vegas to New Orleans on Saturday. Their chartered plane experienced mechanical issues, so they had to wait for a new plane to arrive. The delay meant they held their pregame meetings at team headquarters. They didn’t make it to their team hotel until after midnight local time Sunday morning, which was less than 12 hours before kickoff. That inconvenience didn’t stop them as they handled the Saints on both sides of the ball.
“No sleep, it don’t f—ing matter, man,” running back Ameer Abdullah, who had his first 100-yard rushing performance of his 10-year career, said to cap off a postgame locker room speech. “I trust this team. I love this team.”
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Right behind Abdullah was owner Mark Davis, who wore a wide grin. After a collective “Raiders!” chant, it was Pierce’s turn to speak.
“We might be delayed, but we ain’t gonna be denied,” Pierce said. “We ain’t being f—ing denied.”
Delayed, not denied. #LVvsNO | #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/H5FVzch2CA
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) December 29, 2024
There are some fans who will lament what the win means for the Raiders’ draft position — they’ve gone from being in line for the second pick to No. 8 as a result — but those inside the organization clearly want to keep the victories coming.
“It’s impressive to see guys still fighting,” quarterback Aidan O’Connell said. “We definitely could’ve thrown in the towel a long time ago, but guys are just hungry. I think it speaks to the locker room we have of players who want to play hard, who want to work hard and want to go out there and try to win. … I think it’s just going to continue to fuel us.”
When the Raiders host the Los Angeles Chargers (10-6) on Sunday, they’ll have a chance to play spoiler. The Chargers have already clinched a postseason berth, but they’ll still be hoping to improve their seeding. The Raiders will aim to keep their AFC West rival from doing so.
If they do, that might give Davis something to think long and hard about when considering whether to bring Pierce back for his second full season as head coach. Davis said earlier this month that he wanted to see “progress” from Pierce. Perhaps a three-game winning streak to end the season would meet that benchmark.
“I ain’t got no comment on that,” Pierce said when asked whether the win over the Saints sent a statement about his job security.
Pierce could make that case even if the Raiders lose to the Chargers, but it’d be harder to buy. After all, the Raiders’ two most recent wins came against terrible teams — the Saints (5-11) and Jacksonville Jaguars (4-12) — both of which were missing their starting quarterbacks. The Raiders likely need to at least remain competitive against the Chargers; a lopsided loss in the regular-season finale at home could seal Pierce’s fate.
What would otherwise be a meaningless game for the Raiders could wind up meaning everything for their head coach. And, more broadly, that would have wide-ranging implications for the franchise.
There’s an argument that the Raiders should make a coaching change regardless of the outcome against the Chargers. Pierce has struggled mightily with in-game decision-making and game management. He erred with the construction of his coaching staff to the point that he had to fire his offensive coordinator, offensive line coach and quarterbacks coach after just nine games and would need to find full-time replacements next offseason. He still has just a 9-16 record as head coach, which counts his nine-game stint as interim coach last year.
And, when assessing the coaching market, there may be upgrades available. Former Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel and Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson will lead the pack of candidates, but there will be other intriguing options as well.
Or maybe Davis ends up sticking with Pierce. He’s tired of the constant turnover, after all. The Raiders have already had seven head coaches since Davis became controlling owner in 2011, and he doesn’t want to have to hire an eighth.
There’s no arguing that Pierce has the locker room behind him, and the players’ effort level has not waned. It also bears mentioning that the Raiders have 13 players on injured reserve, including star defensive end Maxx Crosby, defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, defensive end Malcolm Koonce, cornerback Jakorian Bennett and safety Marcus Epps. The Raiders also entered the season without a clear solution at quarterback and have endured below-average play from three different starters: Gardner Minshew, O’Connell and Desmond Ridder.
“That’s really a testament to our coaches,” Pierce said. “It’s easy to coach the Maxxes and the Christians of the world … but when you’ve got these young guys — we have 27 (players) on our team in their first and second year — there’s a lot more detail that goes into it and a lot more patience. There’s going to be mistakes. …
“Overall, the coaches are really not taking the easy route out. They’re not using the excuse of, ‘Man, I ain’t got this vet,’ or, ‘I don’t have this All-Pro player.’ They’re just coaching their asses off and really being receptive with the players and just buying in.”
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The thinking behind keeping Pierce would be that with a new offensive coordinator and quarterback in place, additions via free agency, trades and the draft and better injury luck, the Raiders could take a significant step forward in 2025. That’s a lot of ifs.
Whatever the case, it’s clear that Davis’ looming decision about Pierce isn’t as straightforward as it appeared to be just a couple of weeks ago. Davis has had far more miscues than success stories when it comes to his football operations decisions, which is part of why he brought in NFL legends Tom Brady and Richard Seymour as minority owners earlier this year.
The Raiders can’t afford for Davis and his revamped collection of confidants to get this one wrong, too.
(Photo: Stephen Lew / Imagn Images)
