The Las Vegas Raiders fell hard and fell fast in a loss to aging QB Andy Dalton and the lousy Carolina Panthers on Sunday. And not so surprisingly, Raiders coach Antonio Pierce had nothing nice to say about his team.
"As the game went on," Pierce told reporters, "I think there was definitely some individuals that made business decisions. And we'll make business decisions going forward, as well.
"We got our ass whupped ... I would have booed us too."
The Panthers had been blown out so badly in the first two games that they benched prized pupil Bryce Young in favor of the 36-year-old Dalton. But the Raiders cured all their ills, dropping a 36-22 decision. Some people wondered whether the Panthers could score 36 points for the rest of the season combined. The Raiders seemingly went out of their way to make sure it happened.
"We've got a lot of people that have to look in the mirror," said Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby. "Everybody's got to continue getting better. It's not the end of the world, but it's a wake-up call, you know what I mean? We've got to be better. Period. Simple as that."
Crosby is right. We're just three games into the NFL season. There are 14 more to go. A lot can transpire. And hey, the Panthers were due to beat someone, somewhere, right? So take the L and move on, Raiders. As your coach will tell you, now it's business time.
