Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce absolutely blasts his team after Sunday’s humiliating loss to the lowly Carolina Panthers.
Head coach Antonio Pierce and the Las Vegas Raiders headed into Sunday’s home opener against the lowly Carolina Panthers riding high.
Vegas pulled off a stunning road win over the Baltimore Ravens last week and was taking on the worst team in the NFL.
Carolina had just benched starting quarterback Bryce Young. It headed to Southern Nevada at 0-2 on the season while ranking dead last in points scored and points allowed. In fact, Dave Canales’ squad was outscored by a combined 60 points over the first two weeks of the season.
I did warn about a potential let down for the Raiders in previewing Sunday’s game. It was a continual theme under former head coaches Jon Gruden and Josh McDaniels. That is to say, the Raiders putting up a stinker after a statement win.
Well, it happened again just off the Vegas strip Sunday afternoon. From pretty much the get, it was clear that the Raiders were not prepared for what the Panthers had to offer with Andy Dalton under center.
The end result was an absolutely embarrassing 36-22 loss to the lowly Panthers. These Raiders fell down 33-7 in the fourth quarter before two garbage-time touchdowns.
Gardner Minshew was benched late in favor of Aidan O’Connell. The Raiders’ defense was ripped apart by Dalton. He completed 26-of-37 passes for 319 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions in a flawless effort. That included a 31-yard touchdown strike to Adam Thielen. It was part of a broader break down from a Raiders defense that showed well through the first two weeks.
Pierce was asked after the game whether the head coach thought his team came prepared to play on Sunday. His response was eye-opening and might suggest roster moves will be in the cards after the humiliating effort.
