The Raiders entered Sunday as decisive favorites against the struggling Panthers, but they didn't play like it.
Las Vegas fell behind by as much as 26 points in the 36-22 loss, with a sluggish offense and a defense that was diced up by Andy Dalton in the veteran quarterback's first start in place of a benched Bryce Young.
Raiders coach Antonio Pierce got the full-time job in part because of his no-nonsense attitude, and he didn't mince words after the loss that sent his team to 1-2.
Here's a look at Pierce's postgame comments about "business decisions."
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Antonio Pierce 'business decisions' comments
Coaches often have to walk a fine line when it comes to public criticism of players, but Pierce sent a message on Sunday without naming any names.
Asked if the Raiders' lifeless performance against a Panthers team coming off back-to-back blowout losses, Pierce said he believed some of his players made "business decisions."
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"As the game went on ... there were definitely some individuals that made business decisions," Pierce said, "And we'll make business decisions going forward, as well."
Pierce didn't expand on which players he was calling out, and he didn't explain what exactly he meant by "business decisions." His pledge to make some business decisions of his own seemed to threaten changes in playing time for certain players or even roster changes.
Giving up 36 points to a Panthers offense that was broken over the last two weeks reflects poorly under any circumstances, but the final score of 36-22 didn't quite indicate just how ugly it got for the Raiders. Las Vegas trailed 36-7 before a pair of garbage-time touchdowns, struggling as much offensively as defensively.
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One group Pierce didn't blame was frustrated fans. "We had an opportunity to run the ball and we didn't. Didn't do that at all. We tried and tried and tried, and I would have booed us, too," he said.
The Raiders' situation would be even more dire if not for a breakthrough fourth quarter against the Ravens in Week 2. Pierce's group has scored just 20 first-half points through three games, and frustrations are clearly reaching a boiling point ahead of a matchup with the similarly underachieving Browns.