When Antonio Pierce took over as head coach for the exiled Josh McDaniels prior to Week 9 of this season, there was a bit of optimism, as he guided the Las Vegas Raiders to back-to-back wins.

They then lost three in a row, but now they have won their last two games, including a 20-14 victory over the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day.

It looks like Pierce’s players are allowing him to coach and lead them, and that is the first prerequisite for quality coaching in any sport.

While being interviewed on “Inside the NFL,” he said that he is going to keep it real with his players.

"There's no sugarcoating in our building. There's no hiding."@AntonioPierce on the messaging that's turned his @Raiders team around in December.

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— Inside the NFL (@insidetheNFL) December 26, 2023

On Monday, the Raiders led by as many as 10 points, and they forced Patrick Mahomes into a lackluster performance where he went 27 of 44 and threw for just 235 yards and one touchdown.

While Las Vegas QB Aidan O’Connell didn’t play well himself, backup running back Zamir White had an outstanding game with 145 rushing yards on just 22 carries.

With a 7-8 record, Las Vegas now seems to have an outside chance of making the playoffs, something that seemed unthinkable just a couple of weeks ago when they were 5-8.

There was a feeling that perhaps their players had quit on McDaniels, but now, they have a head coach who, at the very least, seems to have solid leadership skills.

No matter what happens the rest of this season, perhaps there is a glimmer of hope for a Raiders team that has ample talent but has underachieved dating back to last season.

The post Antonio Pierce Explains His Message For Raiders Players appeared first on The Cold Wire.