Antonio Pierce says his Raiders will be channeling the “Bad Boy” Detroit Pistons when they play Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs as long as he is Las Vegas’ head coach.
The Chiefs’ 20-14 Christmas Day upset victory in Kansas City, which was the team’s final setback of the season before winning Super Bowl LVIII, was achieved using a strategy Pierce put forth in a recent edition of Maxx Crosby’s “The Rush” podcast.
The week prior to the game, Pierce—who was the team’s interim coach at the time—told his players they should “hate the color red” and played clips of notable boxing and mixed martial arts bouts. He also showed them how the NBA’s Detroit Pistons handled playing Hall of Famer Michael Jordan in the late 1980s—using a strict defensive strategy designed by coach Chuck Daly.
“We’ve got the Jordan rules and what I’m calling, from now on as long as I’m here, the Patrick Mahomes rules,” Pierce said on the podcast. “So, you remember when Jordan was going through it with the Pistons, all those guys in the ’80s; before he became Michael Jordan, Air Jordan, the Pistons used to whup his ass. Any time he came to the gap? Feeling him, elbows love taps. We made contact with him. I’m touching you, and we’re in the head—mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I so depicted Jordan getting his ass whupped to those guys.”
The Raiders sacked Mahomes four times and finished with ten quarterback hits in the Christmas Day game. They also scored two defensive touchdowns, one of which came from cornerback Jack Jones’ pick-six against Mahomes. With four sacks in a game, Mahomes is tied for the second-most in his career. The Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl after winning six straight games, including four postseason contests.
Pierce, who was hired as the team’s head coach after the season, said on the podcast that the Raiders have given the NFL the “recipe” of how to beat the Chiefs.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid told NBC Sports this month that he texted Pierce a “thank you” for helping his team refocus by beating it that day. Reid sent the text as the Chiefs moved into the Raiders’ facility, their home before the Super Bowl.
“I just said, ‘Hey, beautiful facility, first of all. And I appreciate you kicking our tail because you taught us a lesson. You get complacent in this business, the margin between winning and losing is tiny,'” Reid said.
Pierce stated that his squad will receive “motivation” from the Chiefs using the Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium facility prior to the Super Bowl. He stated that in order for his squad to become a regular winner, it must win the AFC West. For the previous eight seasons, the Chiefs have won the division.
“We must first win the division. We must defeat the red-clad team. They have had [eight] years of dominance. 15. The snake’s head needs to be removed. That must be done first, he stated.
