It’s been a rough few months at the office for Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce. Months, not days—let that sink in. Still, sooner or later both Pierce and his will have to catch a break, right? Should all else fail, the efficacy of prayer might prove beneficial.
Despite some hope that the Silver and Black could rally on Monday night, the Atlanta Falcons walked away with a 15-9 victory. All it took from the Falcons was 112 passing yards from Kirk Cousins and 125 yards on the ground by way of fantasy football star Bijan Robinson. Atlanta didn’t exactly put on an offensive display, but the Raiders fared worse. Scott Turner’s unit could only muster nine points in a game where Desmond Ridder led the team in both passing and rushing yards.
This is really getting ugly down the stretch.
The Raiders attempted some Hail Marys, and, well, they went unanswered (no pun intended). Falcons defensive back Jessie Bates intercepted Ridder, the former Falcons’ starting quarterback, sealing the Raiders’ 10th straight loss. Pierce, who is rapidly running out of things to say during these postgame press conferences, didn’t hold back.
“We need a break; we need a prayer. It just didn’t go our way. Guys are all in; we’re just not winning. I don’t know what else to tell you. We’re just not winning. S***, do I want to win? Hell yeah, I want to win. Do I want to keep looking at the same thing every week and have the same discussion with y’all? No.”
While many Raiders fans are adopting the “tank” mentality, it’s difficult to find anyone in the locker room who shares the same mindset. That’s especially true for Pierce; the besieged coach still wants to win. Unfortunately, his mental mistakes, his lackadaisical approach on the sidelines, and his overall decision-making suggest otherwise.
*Top Photo: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
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