Why Antonio Pierce needs a win vs. Chiefs if he hopes to keep Raiders job

Christmas Day last season was a special day for Las Vegas Raiders fans and perhaps even more special for then-interim head coach Antonio Pierce. It was likely the game that earned him the full-time head coaching job in the offseason.

Despite being massive underdogs on the road, the Raiders came into Kansas City and beat the Chiefs 20-14 on the back of incredible performance from the defense. After that moment, many people thought Pierce was the real deal.

However, that game feels like a distant memory. The Raiders lost to the Chiefs 27-20 earlier in the season and are 2-9. Pierce's tenure has been marred by questionable decisions already. Things are so bad that they had to fire offensive coordinator Luke Getsy in the middle of the season.

Nobody expected the Raiders to be a Super Bowl contender this year but it also wasn't expected that they'd be getting blown out on a weekly basis. At this point, it's hard to see the upside of keeping Pierce for another year. The Raiders don't do anything well.

There's only one thing that could potentially save Pierce's job and that's another holiday win over the Chiefs. The Raiders head to Kansas City this week to play on Black Friday and it's safe to say that nobody expects Las Vegas to win.

If the Raiders come out ready to play and are able to pull off the upset despite being out of the playoff race, that would be huge for Pierce's chances. It would prove that he still has control of the locker room and that the players believe in him.

It's certainly possible. The Chiefs are vulnerable this season and almost lost to the Carolina Panthers last week. If Pierce wants any chance of being a head coach for the Raiders next season, they have to beat Kansas City. Beating the back-to-back Super Bowl champions is worth a lot.