If Las Vegas Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierce can take care of business against the Kansas City Chiefs, should he be the frontrunner this offseason?
It’s a fair question to ponder as the Raiders are coming off a momentous win. In case you forgot, the team dropped 63 points on Brandon Staley’s Los Angeles Chargers. Coach Pierce turned what might have been a disaster following Week 14 and flipped the script, so to speak. He moved offensive coordinator Bo Hardegree upstairs to get a view of the whole field, and wouldn’t you know it—it cured what was ailing the Raiders.
Now, the truth is likely somewhere in the middle—say, between zero and 63.
Is Antonio Pierce the best bet for the Raiders moving forward?
As it turns out, Pierce could very well do himself a big favor by beating the Chiefs in this upcoming matchup. In fact, The Athletic’s Vic Tafur believes that Antonio Pierce might help owner Mark Davis make up his mind a little sooner than some of us predicted.
While speaking with Raiders figurehead J.T. The Brick, Tafur laid it all out.
“If they can beat the Chiefs somehow, I think he’s got it. You can’t announce it officially because you have to go through the process in the offseason. But if [Pierce] beats the Chiefs, he’s the guy.”
Beating the Chiefs is often era-defining for Raiders coaches; just ask Jon Gruden. However, don’t expect Kansas City to just roll over, even if their playoff ticket is all but punched. What’s interesting is that if the team does indeed beat the Chiefs, does this mean Davis won’t even consider other names such as Jim Harbaugh, a proven winner at the NFL level? These last couple of weeks might end up being interesting after all.
Oh, and the Raiders were the final straw that broke Staley’s back. Needless to say, the coaching file for the AFC West in 2024 will look vastly different.
*Top Photo: Getty Images
Antonio Pierce: The Raiders We’re On “The Right Side Of History” Following Thursday Night
Yeah he should if he can beat the Chiefs that should give him a good shot and if he finishes the season not beating the colts but beats Denver yeah especially if we can outscore him defense is holding up good yeah give him a shot I was in for Jim harbaugh but if you can pull it off because that puts a stain on the other coaches and you know how that goes if you can’t beat the raiders you must look for another job ?
Mark Davis better give AP a shot, he deserves it. Davis can’t overthink it
(By Tony Brucks)
In a earlier post today I cast my vote for coach AP for at least a 1 year deal with incentive bonuses. Same for OC and GM. They have all earned this much at the very least.
As for beating KC in order to keep AP this should not be a determining factor. Even in our SB winning years KC has always been a thorn in our A$$. Its pretty much been a toss up on who beats who any given year or game. It would be nice if we whooped their A$$ like we just did the Bolts 🙂
Anyway, I will cast my vote again for coach AP to be our coach. The main and determinig reason being the players want to play for him and they respect & listen to him. That is 75% the battle beating any opponent is having players that want to play & win for you.
I am a 57 year and counting Raiders fan. If you dont have players that want to play for you & win then its just a waste of everyone’s time & money. Not to mention being a loser.