The Las Vegas Raiders were behind by six points with just over seven minutes left when they faced a fourth-and-1 situation on the Los Angeles Chargers’ side of midfield.
Shouldn’t they go for it? Coach Antonio Pierce didn’t think so, and his decision might have cost the Raiders their season opener.
After a short but intense discussion on the sidelines, Pierce decided to send punter A.J. Cole onto the field at the Chargers’ 43-yard line. This move was met with boos and confusion from the crowd at SoFi Stadium, where the Raiders are still considered a local team.
With the game possibly hanging in the balance, Pierce and his Raiders chose not to take the chance.
The Chargers responded to the punt with a 92-yard touchdown drive, sealing a 22-10 victory on Sunday.
After his first game as the Raiders’ permanent head coach, following a 5-4 run as interim coach last season, Pierce defended his decision to avoid the typical NFL strategy and go against many fans’ expectations at a crucial moment.
Pierce explained that he believed the Raiders’ defense could get the ball back in time for a potential game-winning drive.
“I mean, we got what we wanted,” Pierce said. “We got them backed up. We’ve got three timeouts there. Play good football, get the ball back (at) midfield, hopefully. But they broke off a long run, and that was the end of it.”
According to Sportradar, no NFL team had punted on fourth-and-1 in the opponent’s territory while trailing by one score in the fourth quarter since 2016.
“We considered going for it,” Pierce said. “It was a long 1 (yard for a first down). We got stopped earlier in the game. Momentum. The punter had done a good job pinning those guys back.
I think he had two or three punts inside the 20. Again, defense was the strength for the most part of the game.”
The Raiders’ defense was impressive for the first three quarters against Justin Herbert and the Chargers, giving up just 212 yards and no touchdowns.
Las Vegas’ offense also struggled on a fourth-and-1 near midfield in the first quarter, marking a low point in a rather unimpressive opener. In his debut for the Raiders, Gardner Minshew passed for 256 yards with one touchdown, one late interception, and a fumble that Khalil Mack recovered just before halftime.
The Raiders scored only 10 points, their lowest in a season opener since 2006.
“That’s Coach’s decision,” Minshew said about the key fourth down. “But I think anybody that’s a ballplayer wants the ball in their hands with the opportunity to help the team.”
Receiver Davante Adams, who caught five passes on six targets for 59 yards, chose not to comment on the decision.
“I mean, my job is to run routes and do what’s called,” the six-time Pro Bowl selection said. “I don’t really want to get into that.”
Pierce’s choice was controversial, but it wasn’t entirely without merit in theory.
Some top NFL coaches in recent years, like the Rams’ Sean McVay and the 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan, are known for being more conservative, despite their success. Bill Belichick also became more cautious later in his career.
However, Pierce was the most conservative coach in the NFL last season based on the Aggressiveness Index, which measures how often coaches go for it on fourth down.
Pierce’s playing career ended in 2009, and he returned to the NFL in 2022 as the Raiders’ linebackers coach.
The game has changed during his time away, with a greater focus on aggressive fourth-down strategies now considered conventional. While Pierce understands this in theory, it might take him time to fully implement it as a head coach.
