Antonio Pierce is facing his biggest test yet since being named the Las Vegas Raiders head coach. Last year, he was playing with house money after replacing Josh McDaniels but now all eyes are on him.
Sunday's blowout loss to the Carolina Panthers was one of the worst of the last decade and Pierce has to own that. After the game, he said that certain players made business decisions during the game and that they'd be held accountable.
Pat McAfee played in the NFL for a long time and he explained why Pierce may have gone too far with his comments.
“We will let you know that within a locker room, anytime somebody calls out somebody’s business decision being made, and it doesn’t work out good … not good,” McAfee said on the "Pat McAfee Show." “That is a very slanderous thing to say to somebody.”
“ we’re making business decisions out here?’ That is a big punch right to the balls. That is a massive shot,” McAfee continued. “So then obviously you think to yourself, ‘What were the plays that he is talking about?’ The internet found it. There was a situation in the fourth quarter with Jack Jones … and that’s what a business decision looks like.”
Antonio Pierce chatted about some of the Raiders making business decisions yesterday#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/vb95E9GdAS
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 23, 2024
Look, it's hard to fault certain players for not wanting to put their bodies at risk during a blowout loss. The Raiders didn't get embarrassed because a couple of players made business decisions. They lost because they were outcoached and outplayed.
Now, it'll be interesting to see what Pierce does. It's hard to imagine any starters are about to get cut. The Raiders have limited depth at most position groups. That said, it's possible that Jack Jones might be looking at a demotion in Week 4. It's hard to know right now.
Regardless, Pierce needs to figure out what's wrong soon because the Raiders have too much talent to get blown out in their home opener against Andy Dalton of all people.