Antonio Pierce slammed for Raiders punting decision: ‘Dumbest thing you will see all season’
By Justin Terranova,
2024-09-09
Antonio Pierce’s honeymoon phase as the Raiders’ full-time head coach didn’t last long.
Pierce was skewered for deciding to punt on fourth-and-1 halfway through the fourth quarter in the Raiders’ 22-10 loss to the Chargers in their Week 1 opener on Sunday.
Las Vegas trailed 16-10 at the time and was on the Chargers’ 43-yard-line after taking the ball over at midfield.
The Raiders pinned the Chargers down at the 8-yard-line in what had been a game mostly dominated by defense.
However, the decision backfired when Los Angeles marched 92 yards for a touchdown — highlighted by a 61-yard run by JK Dobbins — to seal the victory in Jim Harbaugh’s debut.
“We considered going for it,” Pierce told reporters after the game. “It’s a long one, and we got stopped earlier in the game. The punter had done a good job pinning those guys back, he had two or three punts inside the 20. Defense was a strength for the most part. Keep them backed up with three timeouts.”
It’s safe to say the analytics community did not agree with this logic.
“The Raiders are valued at $6.2 BILLION, Absolutely inexcusable not to pay a math/modeling wizard to be in Antonio Pierce’s ear. Simply tell him punt, or go for it,” wrote Adam Levitan of Establish the Run.
Pierce, a former Giants linebacker, landed the full-time job in Las Vegas after leading the team to a 5-4 record last season after taking over for the fired Josh McDaniels.
“That’s coach’s decision,” quarterback Gardner Minshew said of the decision, per ESPN. “But I think anybody that’s a ballplayer wants the ball in their hands with the opportunity to help the team.”
The Raiders head to Baltimore to take on the Ravens in Week 2 at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
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