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Antonio Pierce Responds To Criticism After Sinking Raiders’ Chances At No. 1 Draft Pick

#Las Vegas Raiders
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Raiders owner Mark Davis stands beside coach Antonio Pierce.

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The Las Vegas Raiders won their third game of the season on Sunday by besting the Jacksonville Jaguars, 19-14. The win decreased the team’s chances at landing the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Many criticized the organization after the fact. The fanbase didn’t believe a win outweighed the importance of securing that top draft slot. Antonio Pierce has since responded. He isn’t worried about the outside noise.

Instead, the head coach is more concerned about success on the field. More specifically, wins and losses. After taking down Jacksonville this past weekend, it was all smiles in the Raiders‘ locker room.

It represented the team’s first win in nearly three months. That’s certainly cause for celebration!

With that being said, the fanbase’s reaction was quite the opposite. Not everyone viewed the win as a positive.

Las Vegas entered the weekend tied with the Giants for the worst overall record in the NFL. This victory helped the squad improve to 3-12 while New York fell to 2-13 after another blowout loss.

As of Monday, the Raiders have moved out of that two-way tie with the G-men and now hold the No. 6 spot. They’ve fallen behind a number of 3-12 teams, too, in terms of draft order.

There is still a chance for Las Vegas to get back to the No. 1 spot, but it will need some help. New York now owns the inside track. After the win, Antonio Pierce was asked about that dilemma.

He doubled down on that opinion Monday. “We don’t do this to lose,” the coach said while addressing the media. “We don’t do this for anybody’s fantasy football team. Don’t do this for anybody’s draft projections. None of that s— matters to us. What matters is winning, and that’s all we want to do.”

Pierce emphasized the importance of wins and losses. He’s going to celebrate his successes on the field. That didn’t sit right with some Raiders fans who were hoping to see the squad secure a franchise QB with the top pick. For those critics, an already miserable season just got even worse.