Raiders, Pierce Have NFL Playoffs on Their Minds
Coach Antonio Pierce and his Las Vegas Raiders will be closely watching the National Football League playoffs this coming Sunday when the AFC and NFC Championship Games will be played.
That’s because Pierce and the Raiders believe they can make such a run next season, which will be his first year as a full-time head coach in the NFL.
The Baltimore Ravens will host the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. At the same time, the Detroit Lions will meet the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
“I am so happy to be the permanent head coach of the Raiders, and I hope to help take us to the NFL playoffs in the future, and beyond,” Pierce said when the interim tag was taken off his title by owner Mark Davis.
After Pierce took over as head coach of the Raiders this season, the Silver and Black showed a couple of times that they might be capable of moving to the postseason.
The Raiders went into Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. They upset the reigning Super Bowl champion Chiefs, 20-14, thanks to a 33-yard pass interception return for a touchdown by cornerback Jack Jones in Week 16.
Super Bowl Champion Antonio Pierce has his focus on returning the Las Vegas Raiders to the NFL Playoffs.
© Kyle Terada | 2023 Nov 5
In addition, the Raiders went to Green Bay in Week 5 and, on Josh Jacobs’ two-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, claimed a 17-13 victory over the Packers, who were leading in an NFC Divisional playoff game last weekend before running back Christian McCaffrey’s six-yard scoring run with a little over a minute left gave the 49ers a 24-21 victory.
One week after the Raiders beat the Packers, they also claimed a 21-17 victory over the New England Patriots, but after consecutive losses on the road to the Chicago Bears, 30-12, and the Lions, 26-14, Coach Josh McDaniels was fired by Davis on Halloween.
That’s when Pierce took over in an interim role, leading the Raiders to a 5-4 record the rest of the season, including a 27-14 victory over the AFC West rival Los Angeles Chargers in the final game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
“Why wouldn’t we keep going in the direction we’re going?” Raiders Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby asked. “The fact we’ve come together and done something special in such a short time is hard to do. We’ve got a guy (Pierce) who’s played at the highest level, won a Super Bowl, been a captain, and now he’s a great coach and a leader.
“He’s helped us win games, and he’s helped our defense take off to a different level and our team in general. We’re a few pieces away from being in contention. We all feel that. We feel like we should be playing this weekend (in the playoffs).”
For Raider Nation, hopefully, that will come next season.
From February 27 to March 4, 2024, the NFL Scouting Combine will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind.
The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently hold the No. 13 overall pick.
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