Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce fully understands the meaning of the heated rivalry with the Kansas City Chiefs—tanking be damned; they’re trying to win.
Whether some folks like it or not, Pierce doesn’t want to hear any of the talk relating to “tanking.” Recently, he stated that the Raiders are striving to win every game; unfortunately, this hasn’t been the case this season. Ahead of Friday’s clash with the current Super Bowl champions, Pierce acknowledged the significance of this AFC West duel. More importantly, he mentioned that team records, particularly those of the Raiders, are irrelevant; the Silver and Black are focused on winning.
Antonio Pierce wants the Raiders to make things “ugly” for the Chiefs…
“Records go out the window, just like they did last year when we played them on Christmas Day. So they understand that; we understand that. They’ll be excited, just like we will be excited for this game. The rivalry is what it is. I think if you look at the last couple of games, we’ve played them close. It’s been back and forth, and it’s been physical, and they’re going to come after us. We know them, they know us, and there’s a lot of trash talking. And they don’t like the color of Silver and Black, and we don’t like red. So, it should be fun.”
Dating back to 2020, contests between the Raiders and Chiefs tend to be close, just as Pierce alluded to. Of course, there have been some exceptions, including blowouts like the 48-9 score in Week 14 of the 2020 season, which left the Raiders utterly defeated.
As most will recall, Pierce’s band of marauders spoiled Christmas for Chiefs Kingdom last year. The besieged Raiders coach is correct: whether this team has two wins or seven, it doesn’t matter; this rivalry is unique. The locker room is full of professionals; they know the season is lost, but that also makes them a dangerous squad; they have nothing to lose. Pierce inferred this too, calling on his locker room to rally and spoil Black Friday for the Chiefs.
“Let’s go out there and make it a dogfight. Let’s make it ugly.”
This is going to be interesting; the Raiders are in the midst of a tie for the first overall pick next year. Perhaps we should set that aside for just one game on Friday.
*Top Photo: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo
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