3 reasons Raiders fans should not panic after the Week 1 loss to the Chargers
By Brad Weiss
3 reasons Raiders fans should not panic after the Week 1 loss to the Chargers
2. Antonio Pierce should improve as the season wears on
It was not the best of days for head coach Antonio Pierce, who led this team to a decisive victory over these same Chargers late in the 2023 NFL season. Sure, a lot has changed since then for both franchises, but the strong finish to last year, especially against the Chargers, put Pierce in a position to be named the full-time head coach in 2024.
On Sunday, we saw some growing pains from Pierce, including a controversial fourth-down call late in the game with the Raiders down six. Instead of going for it on 4th-and-1, Pierce decided to trot out the punting unit, a decision that was seen as cowardly by some members of the media.
While that decision may have been the one that cost the Raiders the game on Sunday, Pierce has a strong staff of former NFL head coaches around him. Also, there are going to be some situations this season where Pierce is either going to look like a genius, or like a fool, something that all young head coaches go through.
Pierce and the Raiders have a long season ahead of them, and I am sure there will be some tutelage from his cast of veteran coaches during the film study this week. This was a very winnable game on Sunday, and the Raiders outplayed the Chargers for most of it, and eventually, Pierce will find a way to win these kinds of games.