With the Las Vegas Raiders' most recent loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, they have officially been eliminated from playoff contention. It's been a nightmare first season for head coach Antonio Pierce and things aren't looking good for his future with the franchise.
There are already rumors that he could be one-and-done. However, there are still five games left for him to prove that he belongs. Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report went through and gave one goal for all of the worst teams in the NFL. He believes that the biggest goal for the Raiders through these final five games is to figure out whether or not Pierce should continue to be the head coach.
"The Raiders are in prime position to draft one of the top quarterback prospects in next year's draft," Ballentine wrote. "The biggest question they have to figure out is if Pierce is the head coach they want in place to develop that quarterback.
"With the Buccaneers, Falcons, Jaguars, Saints and Chargers on tap, the Raiders should be competitive in at least a few of those games. Pierce has to show he can manage those games."
It does seem that the Raiders aren't totally decided on what to do with Pierce. Owner Mark Davis clearly likes him and wants him to succeed, but his lack of experience makes it questionable if he'll be able to turn things around.
Pierce may have a future as a head coach but it does feel like he needs to spend several years learning behind a great head coach to fully be ready for the job. That said, the Raiders winning three or four of their last five games would certainly bode well for Pierce's chances of keeping the job.
Going winless might seal his fate completely as it's hard to justify keeping a coach who went 2-15.