The Las Vegas Raiders did not have a great start to their 2024 NFL campaign, as they absorbed a Week 1 blow on Sunday, losing to the Los Angeles Chargers in Inglewood, 22-10. Many were quick to put the blame for Las Vegas' loss on head coach Antonio Pierce, but there were also others who defended and showed support for him. Among them is no other than CBS Sports personality and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.
“I wouldn’t worry about the Raiders,” Romo said following the Raiders-Chargers game (h/t Raiders Beat).
“Antonio Pierce is for real. I’ve played against him [and] communicated with him a bunch since he took over last year.”
Romo also laid out some of the reasons why Raiders fans should be patient with Pierce, who became Las Vegas' interim head coach after the team fired Josh McDaniels in 2023. The Raiders made Pierce the team's permanent head coach early in 2024.
“I think he’s outstanding almost each area that you want your head coach,” Romo added. “He has the ability to communicate with the players at a very high level. He has a standard that he sets that they follow. His players play as hard as any team that you’ll see on tape. You’ll see that again today. They had too many turnovers. I think that cost them right when they were in position to extend the lead and, to me, there were a lot of positives there, but they didn’t get the [win]… the Raiders are going to be fine. They’re just going to have to win some of the close ones.”
Antonio Pierce, Raiders have work to do
Romo was right to point out that turnovers weighed the Raiders heavily in the Chargers game. Las Vegas quarterback Gardner Minshew threw an interception and also lost a fumble. Running back Zamir White lost a fumble as well. The Raiders struggled to establish a rhythm in Week 1, and that was evident with star wide receiver Davante Adams only managing to rack up 59 receiving yards on five catches and six targets.
Defensively, the Raiders did very well in the first half, allowing the Chargers to score on only field goals. That changed in the second half with Las Vegas defenders seemingly tiring out, as the Raiders failed to do much on offense to afford their defense extra rest.
The Raiders under Pierce is still a work in progress. It is also still too early in the season to draw out any conclusion about how Pierce is doing as Las Vegas' chief mentor.
Week 2 will have Las Vegas playing another road game against a Super Bowl contender in the form of Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens.
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