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Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce calls out the effort of his players after brutal loss to the Panthers

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Justin Churchill | Last updated Sep 23, 2024 12:33 AM ET

Anytime you lose a game the way the Las Vegas Raiders did to the Carolina Panthers, there will be repercussions, and Antonio Pierce, the rookie head coach of the Raiders, has already hinted that something like that will be happening to his team. And, that's fair, because that simply is not a game they should be losing at all, let alone the way they did.

The Panthers dominated them from start to finish, even on defense, where the Raiders have made their money all season long, and all last season. That just wasn't the case on Sunday. In fact, the defense looked lost and beaten at times. If you ask Antonio Pierce, he put it a little more straightforward.

He thinks players made decisions they shouldn't have made during the game, which would suggest they weren't playing their hardest or giving it their all. And, he think some players just didn't want to win enough.

"No, they didn't. I think as the game went on -- I don't think it was the team," head coach Antonio Pierce said after the game. "I think there were definitely some individuals that made business decisions and we'll make business decisions going forward as well."

Basically, when he says business decisions, he means players not playing hard, not finishing tackles, moving out of the way instead of making a tackle, and things like that. At least, that's how I interpret what he's saying. he's pissed about that, as he should be.

First, the fans pay to come and see their team win and play a good game, and they already didn't get that. Okay, let's at least see if they will go all out and at least play their hardest - nope. And as a coach, of course, that's frustrating, because that's just simply not what Raiders football is.

Now, what he means by him making business decisions, I'm not 100% sure, and I don't even want to speculate. But, I will assume that the team will be getting an earful. This can't happen against the Cleveland Browns, who are a much better team. They should be 3-0 right now after a similar loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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