Raiders Respond to Last Week's Challenge from Coach Antonio Pierce

The Las Vegas Raiders were called out publicly by their head coach after they suffered an ugly loss in their home opener last week. The Silver and Black responded appropriately.

Sep 29, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver DJ Turner (19) celebrates with team mates after scoring a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns during the third quarter at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders moved to 2-2 on the season after a 20-16 victory over the Cleveland Browns at home on Sunday. The win over the Browns came after a challenging loss to the Carolina Panthers last week. It was a game the Raiders were expected to win or at least be more competitive than they were.

Following the Raiders’ loss to the Panthers last week, a frustrated Coach Antonio Pierce said he felt like some players did not give it their all.

“I think there was definitely some individuals that made business decisions, and we'll make business decisions going forward as well,” Pierce said.

After the Raiders’ win over the Browns, Pierce noted that he knew the character and poise of his team. Still, he apologized to the players for his comments last week. Pierce said he aims never to be a distraction for the team and looking back, he felt like those comments could be a distraction. 

“I knew what group I had,” Pierce said. “I don't want to go backward, but that wasn't the team that we're accustomed to seeing and has shown up over the last several games. It was a trying week, to be honest, a lot of hoopla stuff, probably started with me and my comments, and I apologized to them for that. 

“I don't want to be a distraction that way, but at the end of the day, we went to work each and every day. They came out throughout the week, and guys never flinched and blinked. We just talked about playing one play at a time, playing for one year. Adam Butler spoke to the team, did a hell of a job with that, and got us going throughout the weekend.”

The Raiders have an opportunity to go on a run, as they have multiple winnable games coming up. They play the Denver Broncos on the road, the Pittsburgh Steelers at home, and the Los Angeles Rams on the road. The Raiders must find a way to win two of those games if not all three. Doing so would make up for their ugly loss to the Panthers and likely have them in the running for a playoff spot about halfway through the season.

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @HondoCarpenter and IG @HondoSr and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.