In a stunning upset, the Las Vegas franchise fell to the Carolina Panthers 36-22 in their home opener. Head coach Antonio Pierce was left reeling, searching for answers after his team’s dismal performance. Pierce was scathing in his criticism, accusing some players of making “business decisions” during the game.
“We got outplayed in every aspect,” Pierce said. “I think there were some individuals who didn’t give it their all. We’ll be making some changes going forward.”
This loss was particularly galling given the favorable circumstances. The Panthers had benched their starting quarterback, and the Raiders’ offense had shown signs of improvement in recent weeks. However, the Panthers dominated from start to finish, with quarterback Andy Dalton leading the charge.
The Raiders’ defense was porous, surrendering 437 total yards to the Panthers. Meanwhile, the offense struggled to get going, managing just 55 yards on the ground. The team trailed by as much as 33-7 early in the fourth quarter.
Defensive end Maxx Crosby, who was hampered by an ankle injury, acknowledged that the team had fallen short. “We’ve got to look in the mirror and get better,” Crosby said. “It’s not the end of the world, but it’s a wake-up call. We’ve got to be better, period.”
Wide receiver Davante Adams was puzzled by Pierce’s accusations of players making “business decisions.” “I don’t know what that means,” Adams said. “I’m not sure what he’s talking about.”
Crosby offered a more blunt assessment. “We just didn’t play well. We didn’t execute. It was a bad loss.”
Pierce downplayed the decision to replace starting quarterback Gardner Minshew with Aidan O’Connell in the fourth quarter, saying it was simply a chance to give O’Connell some experience. O’Connell led the team on a late touchdown drive, but it was too little, too late.
“It’s tough to swallow, especially at home,” O’Connell said. “But we’ll bounce back. We’ve got to move on to the next game.”
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