Owner of the Las Vegas Raiders Mark Davis fired Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler because he realized he had to make changes to the team in order to win again.
After leading the Raiders to yet another losing season prior to his departure, McDaniels’ termination was unavoidable.
Antonio Pierce was promoted to interim head coach by Las Vegas in his stead, and so far, his club is performing like one of the best in the league.
Pierce has been successful in making the most of the team, particularly on defense where the Raiders have recently been an unstoppable force.
In Week 16, Las Vegas defeated their AFC West rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the defending Super Bowl champions, on the road, earning Pierce the biggest victory of his coaching career.
Since Pierce assumed command of the sidelines, Las Vegas has been in the top half of the field in a number of NFL GameDay defensive categories.
Since Pierce took over as interim head coach, the Raiders are first in points per game allowed, tied for fifth in sacks, sixth in takeaways, and first in defensive touchdowns.
The defense is led by Maxx Crosby, but the secondary has been strengthened by young players like Trevon Moehrig-Woodard and Nate Hobbs.
Although they started the season as one of the weakest defensive teams, Las Vegas’ players are now buying into Pierce and are performing at a high level.
Pierce is making a compelling argument for staying on as head coach, even though Davis is throwing a wide net for his replacement.
