Raiders end ugly campaign with loss, leaving coach’s future in question

Fans serenaded Antonio Pierce by chanting his name last year as he walked off the field following a season-ending win over the Broncos at Allegiant Stadium.

Pierce pumped life into the listless Raiders over his nine-game stint as the team’s interim coach. He won over his players, the fans and owner Mark Davis.

Pierce, who was named the Raiders’ full-time coach in January 2024, had a much different experience in his team’s latest season finale Sunday.

His club lost 34-20 at home to the Chargers to close a campaign that couldn’t end soon enough. The Raiders (4-13) fell so far behind the rest of the AFC West it feels like it may take them years to catch up.

Pierce, 46, finished 0-6 in the division his first full season in charge. He is 9-17 overall.

He and the Raiders seemed to be just getting started a year ago. Now, it’s up in the air whether things may already be coming to an end.

Uncertain future

Pierce declined to comment on his future twice Sunday.

It remains to be seen whether Davis — and new minority owner Tom Brady — feels he can wait around to see if things will improve. Especially with coaching candidates available like former Titans boss Mike Vrabel, Brady’s former Patriots teammate.

The Raiders’ division is stacked with proven leaders like Kansas City’s Andy Reid, Denver’s Sean Payton and Los Angeles’ Jim Harbaugh. The edge those coaches can provide was clear Sunday.

The Chargers, who lost 63-21 to the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium last year, were in firm control throughout Sunday’s game. They had a 473-264 edge in total yards and were up 14 points 1:28 into the fourth quarter.

It was a wake-up call for the Raiders, who entered Sunday on a two-game winning streak. Those victories came against the hapless Jaguars and Saints, who were missing their starting quarterbacks.

The playoff-bound Chargers (11-6) were a much tougher test. Their performance showed how large of a gulf exists between the two teams.

Not all bad

The Raiders did have some bright spots.

Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers caught nine passes for 123 yards and one touchdown, giving him 1,027 yards on the season. It’s the first 1,000-yard campaign of Meyers’ six-year NFL career.

Tight end Brock Bowers capped his record-setting rookie season with four catches for 50 yards and a touchdown. He finished the year with 112 receptions, an NFL record for a rookie, and 1,194 yards.

It was still glaring how overmatched the Raiders were against the Chargers.

Yes, the circumstances Pierce faced weren’t great. The Raiders did not have good options at quarterback, lost several key players to injury and navigated wide receiver Davante Adams’ midseason trade request.

“I was working with 53 guys. That’s all I can say,” Pierce said when asked about the obstacles the team’s roster presented. “Whatever 53 guys I got, I work with them. It is what it is. Nobody feels sorry for the hand you’re dealt.”

Pierce held things together as best he could.

The Raiders never quit, despite going on a 10-game losing streak. They were competitive in most games. His players believe he deserves to stay on because of that.

“You didn’t see people step down. You didn’t see a lull,” left tackle Kolton Miller said. “Our approach didn’t change in terms of attacking each week. I’ve seen it go the opposite way. So he’s definitely made a case.”

Quarterback Aidan O’Connell added: “He’s the guy that has to get up there every day and talk to us and continue to try to motivate us. But I think he did a great job of that and really tried to speak to the guys that wanted to continue to fight. Obviously, we had a long skid there, we didn’t win a game, but guys continued to show up to work and do the right things and just tried to chip away.”

There is still no overlooking the Raiders’ final record. Or their long losing streak. Or the quarterback merry-go-round featuring O’Connell, Gardner Minshew and Desmond Ridder. Or how Adams turned his back on Pierce after going to bat for him last season.

The coach’s future is in question as a result. It remains to be seen whether he’ll get another chance to lead the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.

That’s something that would have been hard to imagine based on the scene in the same building one year ago.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.