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ESPN NFL reporter Dan Graziano explained why Las Vegas Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierce could earn the full-time job now that Pierce has gone 3-3 since the firing of coach Josh McDaniels and general manager David Ziegler.
“The Raiders had scored 126 points in eight games under McDaniels this season,” Graziano wrote. “And in six games under Pierce, they have now scored 139. Two years ago, when the Raiders rallied behind interim coach Rich Bisaccia to make the playoffs after Jon Gruden resigned, Raiders owner Mark Davis decided to hire McDaniels instead of keeping Bisaccia, whom the players wanted to stay. That memory is fresh in Davis’ mind, and if the Raiders finish the season strong, he may decide he doesn’t want to repeat the same mistake.”
After the 2021 Raiders went 7-5 under Bisaccia to make a trip to the postseason, players such as then-Las Vegas quarterback Derek Carr openly campaigned for Bisaccia to hold onto the top job through that winter. Las Vegas is 6-8 heading into the Christmas Day game at the 9-5 Kansas City Chiefs, but the ESPN Football Power Index showed as of Monday afternoon that the Raiders still have a 1.0% chance to make the playoffs.
“Next year’s Raiders have a lot of questions to answer, chief among them who’ll play quarterback for them in the short term and (hopefully) the long term,” Graziano continued. “But the defense has played especially well since Pierce became the coach, and there’s evidence to support the idea that the team has responded to him. Davis will surely do a full search, but Pierce has shown enough to deserve to be a part of it. And it’s not out of the question he could emerge the winner.”
The Raiders most recently crushed the Los Angeles Chargers 63-21 this past Thursday night. Los Angeles parted ways with head coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco on Friday.
On Monday afternoon, oddschecker listed the Raiders as 10-point underdogs against the Chiefs. While Davis may at least consider trading for New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick assuming Patriots owner Robert Kraft goes in a different direction next month, Pierce could put himself in a position to win the job if he guides the Raiders to an upset win at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in front of a national television audience.
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