Just four days after their most embarrassing offensive showing in a very long time, the Las Vegas Raiders turned things around in a big way against the Los Angeles Chargers. Antonio Pierce’s team scored 42 points in the first half and a franchise-record 63 points overall in an absolute drubbing of the Chargers at home.
Things started quickly for the Raiders who scored 21 points apiece in the first and second quarters, and they refused to let up after halftime. They scored on their very first drive coming out of the locker room and staying aggressive in the second half was a point of emphasis for Pierce.
Pierce also revealed after the win that the Raiders were very much aware of the points record at halftime and simply wanted to make sure they didn’t let up at all.
“We knew at halftime what the record was,” the Raiders interim coach said. “I was made aware of it, and we wanted to be aggressive regardless of what the score was, even if we only had 21 or 10. We were going to be aggressive and that was our mindset.
“I talked to our team about it last week about playing better in the second half and I thought we did. This one was playing a full second half and not lifting off the gas pedal and hats off to them because that was their mindset.”
During this three-game losing streak the Raiders had scored just three points total in the second half of all of those games so performing better in the second half was, understandably, something Pierce and the staff wanted to make sure the team was focused on. Of course, there was no way they would match their first-half outing, but the energy and aggression never let up which is what they were looking for.
Posting a franchise record in points is something that no one could have expected after the Vikings game, but it shows Pierce’s ability to rally and inspire this team, and the Raiders responded well. Eight different players scored touchdowns which included a career-high four touchdown passes from rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell, a receiver-to-receiver connection from Jakobi Meyers to Davante Adams, and a defensive touchdown courtesy of a Jack Jones pick-6.
The Chargers are obviously spiraling downhill fast, but the Raiders needed a performance like this to show what they are capable of. This offense has the talent to put out these types of scoring outbursts and now it is simply a matter of consistency. And Antonio Pierce is fully taking advantage of this opportunity to show he can be a coach in the NFL.
