Antonio Pierce Continues Winning Raider Ways as He Looks To Erase Interim Tag

The Las Vegas Raiders defeated the Denver Broncos 27-14 to finish off their 2023-24 NFL season, ending things on a positive note. Despite missing the playoffs, the win means that the Raiders have finished second in the AFC West with an 8-9 record.

On top of their season-long record, the win also adds to the resume of interim head coach Antonio Pierce. If Pierce wants to keep the Raiders’ head coaching position, he did what he had to. How did this happen?

Raiders Continue Their Winning Ways Under Antonio Pierce

The Raiders led the game from the beginning and never let up. Their first points were the only ones of the first quarter came as the only points in the first quarter, when Jakobi Meyers ran the ball five yards for a touchdown. Meyers would score his second touchdown of the day, this time on a reception, in the fourth quarter.

The Broncos kept it close for a time, tying the game up with 10:34 left in the second quarter thanks to a 24-yard touchdown reception by Jerry Jeudy. However, the Raiders would score 17 unanswered points, giving them a 24-7 lead early in the fourth quarter.

The rest of the fourth-quarter scoring consisted of a Javonte Williams touchdown and Daniel Carlson field goal. While Pierce left the field, fans were heard chanting “AP! AP! AP!”

Antonio Pierce runs off the field to chants of

“AP, AP, AP!”

The Nation loves this guy #Raiders pic.twitter.com/V7cFTQHKsn

— Jesse Merrick (@JesseNews3LV) January 8, 2024

Pierce has been making his shot at the Raiders’ coaching job since he took the job. He immediately captivated the locker room, now having a plethora of players make it known they want him as their long term coach.

“That’s my vote, and that’s basically how the whole locker room feels,” said Davante Adams. “With good reason. He’s come in and done a great job. He’s continued to win us over.”

Star edge rusher Maxx Crosby also made his case for Pierce. “So you’ve got to find a leader of men. And when you’ve got one of them in the building currently, I don’t know why you would let them go.”

Since taking over as interim head coach in early November, Pierce has compiled a 5-4 coaching record. This includes two blowout wins and an upset over the rivaled Kansas City Chiefs.

“He’s honest and open with us, we appreciate that,” said quarterback Aidan O’Connell. “You can get behind a guy like that.”

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On top of the players, Pierce himself has made it clear he wants the job. “I do also think it’s about building the foundation, and I think for the most part, in these eight or nine weeks, it’s been a solid foundation that we’ve built as a team and an organization, that you can look on and say, those are things that went well.”

The Raiders will begin their head coaching search in the coming weeks. Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that owner Mark Davis is a big fan of Pierce, but he could still be tempted by other major candidates such as Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh.

However, even if Las Vegas wants to hire Pierce, they still are required by the NFL to conduct a full search and go through the complete process.

This process includes the Rooney Rule as well as rules restricting interviews with candidates employed by another team until the third day after that teams final game, up until the Divisional Round.

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