Raiders vs Vikings 2023 Week 14: Studs and Duds

Raiders Dud – Antonio Pierce

As we mentioned in the opening slide, the honeymoon period between Antonio Pierce and Raiders fans is definitely over. There are still some who are holding on to the hope that Pierce can get the job permanently, but we think that has more to do with his opening press conference and love for the Raiders.

Pierce has not been a complete failure and we think that he deserves a place in this locker room, but he has shown few signs of being a competent head coach currently. The defense has played much better and there are times when the Raiders as a unit look fired up and composed but his lack of in game adjustments and game management skills has been exposed.

We know that things can get strange in the final weeks of the season with injuries piling up and teams taking their foot off the pedal but no matter the result of the final four games, the Raiders need a head coach who can make these adjustments and bring some spark and creativity to this offense.

We know that Pierce came into a tough situation with a rookie quarterback and a struggling offense but getting shut out at home after blowing a 14-point lead to the Chiefs is not going to get that interim tag removed. What made things even worse was that the Raiders were coming off a bye week and should have been better prepared for what the Vikings were going to do defensively. Pierce is a great guy and a lifetime Raider, but we need to stop getting caught up in the things that don't matter and focus more on the results.