Antonio Pierce Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Raiders interim HC Antonio Pierce gives fiery speech after first win

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 11/5/23

After firing their head coach and general manager during the week, not many would have blamed the Las Vegas Raiders if they were distracted in their Week 9 matchup with the New York Giants.

Instead, the Raiders played arguably their best game of the season under interim head coach Antonio Pierce, rolling past the Giants 30-6 and moving to 4-5 and into second place in the AFC West.

Following his first head coaching win, Pierce gave an impassioned post-game speech in a locker room that had a different vibe than it did at any point under former HC Josh McDaniels.

Just getting started.#NYGvsLV | #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/SWVYloEIgx
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) November 6, 2023

While it was presumed that Pierce was hired simply to get the Raiders through the end of the season while they conduct a search for McDaniels’s full-time replacement, Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer reported on Sunday that he has a shot at landing the job permanently.

Should Pierce keep the team playing inspired football and make a push for the playoffs, he'd go a long way toward convincing the front office to let him prove what he can do with a full season and his own coaching staff.

More must-reads: