With the NFL regular season about to wrap up, there are sure to be multiple head coaching jobs available next week once the 18 non-playoff teams evaluate their seasons and plan for the future. One team that may not have an opening is the Las Vegas Raiders, despite making Josh McDaniels the first fired head coach of the 2023 season.
Raiders linebackers coach Antonio Pierce took over for McDaniels in Week 9 and Las Vegas has played better for the most part since the coaching change. The team is 4-4 with Pierce as head coach and have a chance to finish with a winning record under him with a win in Week 18.
Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams made his feelings known on the possibility of Pierce getting the job full-time, according to Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team:
There's no doubt that the Raiders have been a significantly improved team since Antonio Pierce was named interim head coach. Reading further into their 4-4 record with him show wins that include a 20-13 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on the road and a 63-21 blowout over the Los Angeles Chargers.
That beatdown of Los Angeles led to Chargers head coach Brandon Staley being fired after the Raiders scored the most points in franchise history against LA.
The changes are most clear on defense, where the Raiders allowed just over 16 points per game in its last eight games. That has allowed Las Vegas to stay in most games during the stretch run of the season.
The Raiders have notched the fewest defensive penalties (24) in the NFL since Week 9, scoring the most defensive touchdowns with four. They also rank sixth in the league with 13 takeaways in those six weeks.
The Raiders wrap up their regular season on Sunday against the Denver Broncos.