Las Vegas Raiders 2023 Thanksgiving: What Raider Nation should be thankful for

The Las Vegas Raiders enter 2023 Thanksgiving at 5-6, but there is plenty to be thankful for this year.
Las Vegas Raiders v Miami Dolphins
Las Vegas Raiders v Miami Dolphins / Megan Briggs/GettyImages
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Antonio Pierce replaces Josh McDaniels as Raiders Head Coach

Going into their matchup against the Chicago Bears, many expected the Las Vegas Raiders to continue their winning ways after winning two straight. With Jimmy Garoppolo going down with injury, another assumption by Raider Nation was that Josh McDaniels would return Aidan O'Connell as starting quarterback, but we could not have been more wrong.

Instead of giving O'Connell his second start, McDaniels decided to roll with Brian Hoyer in that matchup, one of the key moves that would eventually seal the fate of the head coach. The following week, the Raiders were trounced by the Detroit Lions on national television, and the following day, the long nightmare came to an end.

Mark Davis fired McDaniels on Halloween night, and then sent Dave Ziegler and Mick Lombardi packing as well, moving Antonio Pierce into the interim head coach role. Since taking over, Pierce has been even better than expected, winning two of his first three games, and more importantly, winning over the locker room.

Who knows whether or not Davis will retain Pierce in a full-time role going forward, but one thing is for sure, he is the right guy at this moment for the 2023 Las Vegas Raiders.