Antonio Pierce Insists Raiders Aren't Tanking in Aftermath of Third Straight Loss

The vibes have turned rather gloomy in Las Vegas.

Pierce and the Raiders are off to a 2–5 start this season. / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders are in a rough spot.

Las Vegas has lost three straight games, including a 20–15 defeat to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, and there's no end in sight with tough matchups looming against the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals the next two weeks. Raiders starting quarterback Aidan O'Connell is now expected to miss four to six weeks with a broken thumb, meaning Gardner Minshew—who was benched earlier this season—takes over under center. Not to mention star receiver Davante Adams now resides in New York with his favorite quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Raiders coach Antonio Pierce addressed his team's gloomy start during a press conference Monday.

"There's still a lot of football left," Pierce said. "The season is not over. We're not tanking. We're not trying to lose games to do anything better for the future. Hell, we're trying to be the best team we can and right now, we're not a good team."

Las Vegas started its season on a positive note, upsetting the Baltimore Ravens on the road in Week 2 and battling for a win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 4. But the Raiders' season has derailed over the last three weeks in losses to the Denver Broncos, Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles.

"I'll be honest, I didn't expect to be 2-5—like to see that flipped—but at the end of the day, you've got to live in reality and that's what we're dealing with," Pierce said.

If the season ended Monday, the Raiders would select No. 8 in the 2025 NFL draft, as there are nine teams currently 2–5 or worse through seven weeks. Even if they were tanking, there still would be work to do.

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