The Las Vegas Raiders made a popular hire on Friday, when they decided to take the interim head coaching tag off Antonio Pierce . The Raiders named him their new head football coach on Friday, after leading the team to a number of impressive wins, including a 20-14 road win over the Kansas City Chiefs. On Friday evening, Colorado head coach Deion Sanders congratulated Pierce on the big opportunity in front of him.
After Pierce took over in Week 9, the Raiders were tied for 10th in the NFL in takeaways (14), tied for fifth in turnover margin (+6), and tied for third in sacks. Their defense also managed to allow a league-low 16.0 points per game.
Before joining the NFL coaching ranks, Pierce spent five years with the Arizona State Sun Devils, working as their linebackers coach, before adding the title of associate head coach and defensive coordinator. In 2021, he was promoted to defensive coordinator for ASU, helping the Sun Devils defense rank first in the Pac-12 in scoring defense (20.8 points per game), first in total yards allowed per game (326.3 yards), tied for first in defensive touchdowns (three), second in interceptions (16) and second in sacks (27).
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