Tag: Antonio Pierce

Raiders must avoid trap of emotional letdown vs Jets

Raiders must avoid trap of emotional letdown vs Jets

In the same way the Raiders seemed to have checked out under Josh McDaniels, they were energized for interim head coach Antonio Pierce. They rode that wave to a resounding 30-6 victory over the visiting Giants.

It’s safe to say they were playing on another emotional plan entirely from what we’ve seen from them in some time. Honestly I can’t recall this team playing such inspired football.

It permeated the entire team and the locker room after it was over was buzzing with excitement…and a lot of cigar smoke.

But there’s still eight games left. And the Jets come to town this Sunday. Finding that emotion again is pretty much impossible, so, now, just like an adrenaline high, the Raiders must guard against the crash.

“Well, we knew last week was going to be emotion, and we checked that this morning,” said Pierce Wednesday before practice. “We can’t win in the National Football League each and every week on emotions, we’ll get burnt out. Now, it goes back to what football is all about – the execution, fundamentals, technique, doing your job, maintaining, like I answered earlier, that winning stamina, that purpose. And just again, as simple as it is, just do your job. We don’t need the extra stuff, that will come with us playing well. Our guys are motivated. It’s a new week for us, last week Is behind us and we’re looking forward.”

Pierce was a starting middle linebacker on a Super Bowl winning Giants team and had to win four games in the postseason in order to hoist the Lombardi. So, you trust that he knows the approach involved in putting big wins behind him, knowing there’s more ahead.

Now it’s about putting that approach into practice throughout the week and on game day.

For players like Maxx Crosby, it’s easy enough. He is always going at full capacity. But not everyone functions like that. Most players have to regulate that emotion. What they always talk about when they say to have a short memory.

That’s where players like Davante Adams come in. No one is more even-keeled than the three-time All Pro. Which should tell you something considering how frustrated he had gotten with the offense under McDaniels.

His process is one the rest of the Raiders could do well to follow.

“It’s sustainable if you know how to manage it and use it correctly,” said Adams. “Being sustainable is just our attitude, and our energy, and our focus moving forward as a team. And I think all those pieces are in place right now, it’s just a matter of keeping that going and keeping everybody positive in the midst of adversity, not everything’s going to go as smoothly as it did last week. So, just understanding that, and then doing something about it when you have the opportunity.”

In other words the game last Sunday was the perfect storm. Emotional high plus weak opponent equaled a dominant performance.

And the Raiders won’t have the same fire in their belly they had last week. That’s just the fact of the matter. And the Jets are a tougher team, especially on defense. They never got punched in the mouth last week. How do they respond when that happens? That is the question.

Antonio Pierce describes the exact style of play he wants the Raiders to be known for

Antonio Pierce describes the exact style of play he wants the Raiders to be known for

Ex-Raiders coach Josh McDaniels is a distant memory in Las Vegas, and the so-called “Patriot way” is a thing of the past as well. Led by interim coach Antonio Pierce, the Raiders are finding their own identity once again.

But what exactly will the Raiders’ identity be going forward? Under coach Pierce, specifically?

Talking to reporters on Wednesday, the Raiders’ new leader described precisely what he wants to see on gamedays and what he wants football fans to notice about his team.

“First and foremost, just a mentally tough team,” Pierce said. “A team that you see out there saying ‘damn, that’s how football is supposed to be played.’ Running the ball, stopping the run, having fun, doing it as a team.”

That Pierce highlighted the run game on both sides of the ball should be music to the ears of Raiders fans. The passing game has grown in importance in the NFL for decades but come playoff time, running on offense and stopping the run on defense is key. Plus, unless a team has a superstar signal caller, rushing yards are essential to setting up passing plays.

“More importantly, the love and passion for the game,” Pierce continued. “I hope that if you never get to come to one of our games in the stadium, when you watch on television, you’re like ‘damn, them dudes love ball. They love playing for one another.’ If I can get that, I’ve accomplished one of my goals.”

Judging from the Raiders’ dramatic turnaround in their win against the Giants last week, Pierce is an expert motivator. It’s clear he loves football more than nearly anything else in life. Thus far, his team has mirrored that aspect of Pierce’s personality.

The “Raiders way” under Pierce is just beginning to take form, however, and there’s much work to do before football fans look at the Raiders with the sense of awe that Pierce describes.

Luckily for Pierce and his squad, they have the perfect opportunity to display newfound passion for the game when play on national television against the Jets on Sunday night, as they attempt to even their record at 5-5 and play their own brand of football.

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Raiders LB Robert Spillane broke his hand 2 weeks ago vs Lions and has not missed a snap since

Robert Spillane broke his hand vs Lions, had surgery and hasn’t missed a single snap since. Just unreal.

We’ve heard Raiders defenders like Maxx Crosby speak highly of the toughness and grit of Robert Spillane. And if you didn’t buy into that talk before, you probably should now.

Wednesday Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce revealed that two weeks ago when the Raiders faced the Detroit Lions, Robert Spillane broke his hand. The middle linebacker then taped it up and played the rest of the game. He didn’t miss a snap.

The day after the game, Spillane had surgery on his broken hand, missed all of one practice, and then played every snap again in their big win over the Giants last Sunday.

Needless to say, Pierce — a former NFL middle linebacker himself — could not be more impressed with this.

“Lunchpail. Hard hat,” Pierce said of Spillane.

“That’s the mentality you want. You got your super stars, you got the guys that get all the credit and you got guys like this; the lunchpail guys. That just come to work every day. And does it with a smile. He’s been like that since day one. I remember the first time we talked over the phone. When we signed him, his energy, I could feel his fire in his belly of being an undrafted guy, getting cut from one team, not getting the opportunity he thought he was going to get at certain places, and he brought that here. And the first thing he did when he got here was he get with Maxx Crosby and he tried to match his energy and it didn’t work out, but what he’s done for us is the mental part. Really good for Patrick Graham, our linebacker corps and our defense because he does a lot of things pre-and-post-snap that helps us.”

Spillane didn’t just play, he made plays. And he led the Raiders with nine combined tackles against the Giants. Just unreal toughness for the veteran linebacker.

Ballers & Busters for Raiders Week 9 win vs Giants

Ballers & Busters for Raiders Week 9 win vs Giants

You won’t see many more lopsided victories than the Raiders had over the Giants Sunday. It was made all the more amazing when compared to how they looked over the first eight games of this season.

They stopped the Giants with a three-and-out to start things off and then drove for a touchdown. The next three Giants drives were a turnover on downs, consecutive sacks to put them in third and 27 and a punt, and a three and out.

Then midway through the second quarter, the Raiders drove for another touchdown, intercepted the ball, scored a third touchdown, intercepted the ball again, added a field goal at the end of the first half, and another one to begin the third to go up 27-0.

It was enough to make your head spin. At least if you were the Giants.

Ballers

HC Antonio Pierce

He brought the Raiders ready to play and itching to get him a big win in his debut of the post-Josh McDaniels era. The players came out pumped and the Giants got caught under the wheels of that bus.

The offense scored over 20 points for the first time this season, Josh Jacobs had a season-high rushing yards, and the defense had eight sacks, two turnovers off interceptions, and four others on downs. Then they sparked up cigars afterward to celebrate being out from under Josh McDaniels’s thumb and finally having fun again.

DE Maxx Crosby

Crosby came into the game outside the top ten in sacks. And left tied for second with TJ Watt. And even with three sacks in the game, he was still more valuable than his sack total.

The first Giants possession saw them line up in fourth and one to go for it. Then Maxx got the right guard to jump and they had to punt instead. The next drive saw the Giants again go for it on fourth and one. This time Crosby led the way in making the stop at the line for no gain.

The third drive ended with Crosby chasing down Daniel Jones for the sack. Jones attempted to get away from Crosby and tore his ACL.

Already up 27-0 in the third quarter, Crosby saw to it they didn’t close that gap. He got pressure on first down and got his second sack on third down to force another three-and-out. That series pretty much slammed the door on the Giants’ chances of coming back. But just for good measure, he would add one more sack early in the fourth quarter.

Even with the Raiders defense finally stepping up to match his energy, he still led the way for this team. And had cigars ready for the whole team after the game.

CB Amik Robertson

With the Raiders up 14-0 in the second quarter, the Giants knew they needed to make a big play. QB Tommy DeVito launched one for the end zone and Robertson flew over, got up in the air and picked it off, much like he did to win the game against the Packers a few weeks ago. He would get up and return this one to th 40-yard-line and the Raiders would capitalize on the turnover with their third touchdown of the day.

Early in the fourth quarter, he made a hard hit on a catch to knock the ball out on fourth down. And a bit later he added a forced fumble to his stat line just for good measure. Have yourself a game, Amik.

RB Josh Jacobs

Set the tone early and kept it going. He had 31 yards on on four runs on the opening touchdown drive, 33 yards and the touchdown run from two yards out on the second scoring drive, and scored again from two yards out on the next drive.

He already had a season-high 85 yards rushing by half time and the Raiders led 24-0. He surpassed 100 yards for a moment before a loss on a run put him back at 98 yards.

DT Bilal Nichols, DT John Jenkins

The 34-year-old was playing like he was ten years younger, showing rare pass rush and sideline-to-sideline run stopping abilities for a 327-pounder. He got pressure on the second play of the game to force an incompletion and the Giants started the game with a three-and-out.

The second Giants drive saw them line up in third and three and Nichols made the run stop short of the sticks. Then on fourth and one, he teamed up with Crosby and Jenkins to stop the tush push for no gain.

The first possession of the second quarter saw Jenkins race down the line to make a tackle for loss in the left flat, leading to another three-and-out.

Pressure was coming from all over the Raiders line, but Nichols was doing some nice complementary football with Crosby in this one. On consecutive plays in the fourth quarter Nichols had a pressure that led to a Crosby sack and then Crosby had pressure that led to a Nichols sack. That’s how it’s supposed to be done.

QB Aidan O’Connell

The rookie scored on the opening drive while delivering a strike on a slant to Jakobi Meyers that went for 25 yards.

The next scoring drive, he reminded us that Hunter Renfrow is on this team with consecutive connections to the shifty slot receiver for 19 yards and 13 yards to put the Raiders in first and goal. They scored the TD on the next play.

Following the Amik Robertson interception, O’Connell threw deep on the first play for a gorgeous 50-yard hookup with speedster Tre Turner to put the Raiders in first and goal at the ten. They scored three plays later.

He opened the second half by completing passes on four third downs, converting the first three and putting them in field goal range with the fourth one to make it a 27-0 game.

The rookie didn’t have massive numbers, but he delivered some strikes, ran the offense perfectly, and didn’t turn the ball over. Not much more you can ask of him than that.

LT Kolton Miller, LG Dylan Parham, C Andre James, RG Greg Van Roten, RT Jermaine Eluemunor

The entire Oline played every snap, didn’t give up a single sack, and opened holes for Josh Jacobs to hit 100 yards and two touchdowns.

On the second TD drive, Eluemunor and Van Roten made key blocks on a 15-yard Jacobs run and Eluemunor laid a key block on the touchdown run. Miller, Parham, and Van Roten got out left to make key blocks on a 15-yard catch in the left flat by DeAndre Carter to get things going in the third quarter.

Honorable Mention

WR Jakobi Meyers — Scored the Raiders first TD on a sweep and made some nice blocks in the game as well.

RB Ameer Abdullah — Did some great dirty work on offense and special teams.

WR Tre Tucker — Made an incredible diving 50-yard grab that set up the Raiders’ second touchdown of the game.

Busters

None

This was about as flawless a performance as you’ll see on both sides of the ball. The Raiders were up 24-0 by half time and were up 27-0 midway through the third before the Giants got on the board for the first time. Hard to find blame for anything when one team scores that much and gives up nothing.

Josh McDaniels’ hatred of the Giants ultimately got him fired

The Raiders reportedly fired Josh McDaniels after he went on a tirade because Antonio Pierce mentioned the Giants winning Super Bowl XLII.

Retired NFL quarterback Tom Brady has repeatedly stated that a Super Bowl XLII loss to the New York Giants will haunt him for the rest of his life. And more than a decade later, members of that New England Patriots team are still feeling the effects.

Days before the Las Vegas Raiders decided to blow things up and fire general manager Dave Ziegler and head coach Josh McDaniels, a team meeting was called.

During the “airing of grievances” meeting, multiple Raiders players and captains unloaded on McDaniels.

Sensing he was losing the room completely, McDaniels called on a member of that Super Bowl XLII-winning Giants team to speak on behalf of himself and the coaches.

That person was Antonio Pierce, who gave a rousing speech about culture and attitude. He recalled his time with those 2007 Giants and said the Raiders needed to embody the same confident approach that Tom Coughlin-led team had.

Ultimately, Pierce said, these Raiders have to be those Giants.

That did not sit well with McDaniels, who immediately ripped into Pierce for disparaging the Patriots by bringing up that Super Bowl.

“He brought up the old Giants team that beat the (Patriots), Josh McDaniels’ team, in the Super Bowl in the 2007 season,” Jay Glazer of FOX Sports reported. “He said, ‘no matter who we played, we thought we could beat them. We had a game plan where we could beat them. We had to believe that and that’s not here. We have to believe that at the Raiders, we can beat anybody.’ He finishes up that speech, everyone thinks they’re great except for Josh McDaniels.

“Josh McDaniels then goes over to him and says, ‘don’t ever talk about the Patriots like that.’ And then you really saw how divided that building got. That got up to Mark Davis and I think Mark Davis looked at it and went, ‘OK, I’m gonna choose the guy who believes that we can win every single week.'”

Petty much?

In the end, McDaniels took two L’s to the 2007 Giants. Once in Super Bowl XLII and then again last week.

Somewhat ironically, Pierce was named the Raiders interim head coach and in his NFL debut at that post, defeated the Giants, 30-6.

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Raiders HC Antonio Pierce lauds ‘relentless’ pass rush from Maxx Crosby’s supporting cast vs. Giants

Raiders HC Antonio Pierce lauds ‘relentless’ pass rush from Maxx Crosby’s supporting cast vs. Giants

On the Raiders defense, there’s one clear-cut leading man. It’s defensive end Maxx Crosby. He’s achieved superstar status as one of the best defenders in the NFL.

But we’re not talking about the movie business. One player simply can’t carry an 11-man defense in the NFL or even a seven-man defensive front.

Crosby has come close, especially in regards to pressuring the quarterback, and he’s a one-man wrecking crew at times. But if the Raiders defense is to be consistent, Crosby’s supporting cast has to step up and provide pressure as well.

They did so in Vegas’ big win against the Giants. Crosby led the way with three QB sacks, three tackles for loss and three QB hits. But as a team, the Raiders had eight sacks, eight tackles for loss, and nine QB hits. Interim coach Antonio Pierce praised the group when talking to reporters on Monday.

“Maximum effort,” Pierce said when asked about Crosby’s running mates. “You know, me and Maxx joke about it; me trying to match his effort and vice versa. But our defense and our team, especially our D-Line and guys that were blitzing did a heck of a job last night of just being relentless.

“We talked about that; straining to finish through the play. Playing through the whistle, not thinking that ‘Oh he’s gonna make [the play]. That guy’s going to make it.’ No. ‘I’m going to make it.’ And if we all have that mentality, roll call on the ball.”

Pierce appears to be a master motivator, judging from the turnaround the Raiders just experienced under his leadership. It makes sense that his message could hit the hardest along the defensive front; that’s where he thrived as a player when he was a Super Bowl-winning linebacker.

That’s perfect for the Raiders. Unless Crosby’s supporting cast takes advantage of the extra attention Crosby receives from opposing offensive lines, Crosby will continue to be a superstar player on an average defense.

If the defensive front continues its relentless play, the Raiders defense will produce more pressures, sacks, and turnovers and rise to a new level altogether. That would make for a story Crosby would be proud to star in and one Raider Nation would line up around the block to see.

Antonio Pierce attended all Raiders OL meetings last week, they responded in big way

Antonio Pierce attended all Raiders OL meetings last week and they responded in big way

For as bad as the Giants have been this year, their defensive line has been pretty good. And defensive coordinator Wink Martindale is known for bringing the heat on opposing quarterbacks.

The duo of Kayvon Thibodeaux and Dexter Lawrence have a combined 11.5 sacks and 24 QB hits. But on Sunday in Vegas they combined for zero in both categories.

The entire starting five for the Raiders played every snap in the game. Those five from left to right were LT Kolton Miller, LG Dylan Parham, C Andre James, RG Greg Van Roten, and RT Jermaine Eluemunor.

New interim head coach Antonio Pierce — who spent the latter half of his ten-year NFL career as a player with the Giants — was determined to make sure these guys were put in the best position to help the Raiders offense function at a high level.

“I was in every meeting with the Oline this week. I was their best friend,” said Pierce, with a smile. “I was encouraging them, I was trying to learn the terminology obviously, coming from the other side of the ball the last two years and not really focusing on their terminology, their techniques, their fundamentals and how they coach and talk. But being over there just to give words of encouragement because that’s a good group. And they’re a tight knit group. And I think that was showcased last night. If you really go back and watch the game, watch where guys come off the ball to the second level. It was impressive. They set the tone the first drive of the game. They are the reason why we’re going to move forward and keep moving forward is because of those guys.”

Along with allowing zero sacks in the game and just one QB hit on rookie Aidan O’Connell, the line opened up holes for Josh Jacobs all game long. It led to Jacobs having his best game of the season, and for a moment late in the game going over 100 yards (before a tackle for loss put him back to 98 yards).

Jacobs setting the tone along with the ability for O’Connell to survey the field and find his receivers went a long way to helping the offense score 30 points when they hadn’t broken 20 points in the previous eight games this season.

Raiders ride ‘electric’ vibe for decisive victory over Giants days after Josh McDaniels fired

Raiders ride ‘electric’ vibe for decisive victory over Giants days after Josh McDaniels fired

What a transformation. In Las Vegas Sunday we saw a team playing some of the most inspired football I’ve ever seen them play. They had broken free from the shackles of the previous head coach and were ready to show what they were capable of.

What they were capable of, apparently, was a completely dominating performance in every phase of the game. Starting with the defense, which now has a former NFL linebacker taking the headset.

It’s Antonio Pierce’s job now and the vibe he created with this team was palpable.

Pierce said he took his cue from the team’s emotional leader, Maxx Crosby, who then went out and responded to his new coach’s faith in him with a three-sack performance. Giving him 9.5 on the season; tied with TJ Watt for the second most in the league.

“It was a blast,” said Crosby. “We had a lot of fun out there, you could feel it. The energy was crazy. We sustained it for the whole game. That’s what we talk about. AP talked about it during the week, just playing with swag, letting everyone’s personality come to light and I feel like everyone felt that today.”

The Raiders would finish with eight sacks in the game, their most in a single game since the 2010 season. Six different players got to the quarterback including Adam Butler, Bilal Nichols, Tyree Wilson, Tre’von Moehrig, and Robert Spillane. A couple of those sacks were set up by Crosby’s pressure on the outside.

Crosby came into this game so confident they were going to win, he purchased cigars for the entire team the night before and then they all went out there and rolled over the Giants in every facet of the game to earn the right to smoke them after the game.

Then he posted a video of he and his teammates smoking them. Along with — at the end — Mark Davis making an appearance.

I asked Crosby about that level of confidence, to which he responded “No question. No question.”

“That’s the confidence that you have to have in this league,” Crosby continued. “You have to go out there with ill intent and the intention to go win. If you have any doubt that you’re going to go out there and succeed, you’re already a step behind. We had a lot of confidence, so we were ready to go and you just felt it in the building.”

This one was never close. The Raiders played on another plane. They stopped the Giants for a three-and-out, then went for an opening drive touchdown and never looked back.

From the first play, Josh Jacobs was running well and he and his offensive line looked more in tune with each other than they had all season. The result was a season high 98 yards for Jacobs and 125 yards rushing for the team. No small feat against a tough Giants defensive line.

“Our mentality.” said right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor of the difference with their performance in this game. “They have a great Dline and Dexter Lawrence is a freaking tank, so giving attention to him and also knowing that we’re capable of running the ball too and we have one of the best backs in the league, if not the best back. And once we get him going, it’s hard to stop. Get him going, control the line of scrimmage, and take it upon ourselves to control the game.”

By half time, Jacobs had already put up a season-high 85 yards rushing, and the Raiders led 24-0, giving them not only their highest scoring game of the season, but by far their most lopsided lead.

“I think it’s the best we’ve played as a team,” said Jacobs, seemingly stating the obvious.

“The vibe and the energy is just electric right now. This is the most connected that I feel we’ve been as a unit. Just to go out there and have fun and celebrate after doing things good and the defense stepping up and holding their own.”

Jacobs had two of the Raiders’ first three touchdowns. One of those touchdowns was set up by two incredible deep catches — one an interception by Amik Robertson at one goal line and the next one on the very next play with Aidan O’Connell connecting on a 50-yard bomb to Tre Tucker. That put the Raiders in first and goal and Jacobs punched it in two plays later.

It was the second deep interception by Amik Robertson.

“That’s who I am, man,” Robertson said of his interception. “Just doing my job, getting myself into the scheme. Once I saw the ball up there, I knew it was mine.”

Nate Hobbs added an interception as well off a deflection. That led to a field goal just before the half.

“All we did was replicate what we’ve been doing all week,” said Hobbs. “We had energy all week. We have love for each other, we got each other’s backs so we went out there and played as a team.”

If anyone would have been expected to throw an interception in this game it was O’Connell who had two on the season in limited snaps. But the rookie didn’t turn the ball over at all and ran the offense efficiently along with new offensive coordinator Bo Hardegree.

It was a great first game of this new page the Raiders have turned to. Pierce literally handed the players a blank page to symbolize the fresh start. It’s a fresh start for him to as the interim head coach. And the players responded to him and stepped up.

“We wanted to do it for AP,” said Josh Jacobs. “We all sat down and were like no matter how this goes, we’re going to play with all we’ve got for that man. Because the position that he’s in and he’s going to be the face of the ridicule. We wanted to go out and play for him and show that we can do that in all three phases and we went out there and did that today.”

That 30-6 runaway win Sunday told that story pretty succinctly.

NFL fans thought the Raiders smoked victory cigars because they were celebrating Josh McDaniels’ dismissal

The Raiders are so much happier without Josh McDaniels.

The more time passes, the more it becomes clear the Las Vegas Raiders rid themselves of Josh McDaniels like a ship sheds a rusty anchor. This is a guy who couldn’t resist defending his old team in what might have been one of the most critical moments of his Raiders coaching career.

With Davante Adams seeming so carefree after the Raiders fired McDaniels, it looked like the veteran coach was indeed throwing Las Vegas’s vibes off. We can’t deny that assertion after watching the Raiders — led by interim head coach Antonio Pierce — systematically dismantle the New York Giants in a 30-6 win on Sunday. From the jump, the Raiders played a complete game in all three phases, completely outclassing an overmatched Giants squad.

So, I now ask: How bad of a coach was McDaniels? Look at this elated locker room smoking victory cigars for a regular-season win, folks. I mean, my goodness!

NFL fans also noticed the massive disparity in Raiders players’ despair and happiness between Pierce and McDaniels as their coach. They couldn’t help but laugh at McDaniels’ expense when they saw Las Vegas break out cigars for an early November win.

Raiders winners and losers in 30-6 victory vs. Giants

Raiders winners and losers in 30-6 victory vs. Giants

The Raiders installed a new regime on a short week and looked like a brand new team on Sunday, dominating the Giants for a 30-6 win at Allegiant Stadium.

Interim coach Antonio Pierce led the way for the new-look Raiders after taking over for former coach Josh McDaniels, who was fired mid-week. New offensive coordinator Bo Hardegree re-imagined the offense, resulting in a season-high in points for a group led by new starting quarterback Aidan O’Connell.

Meanwhile, the Las Vegas defense caused multiple turnovers and took advantage of an injury to Giants QB Daniel Jones. The win was the breath of fresh air the franchise desperately needed, and it also kept Vegas relevant in the standings.

Here are the winners and losers for the week, as the Raiders improve to 4-5 on the campaign.

Winner: Coach Antonio Pierce and staff

The Raiders’ new coach grew up rooting for the silver and black, and his team played with a passion reminiscent of Raider Nation itself. Pierce’s leadership was apparent immediately and Las Vegas started hot, jumping out to a 24-0 lead at halftime and a 27-0 lead before the Giants finally found the end zone in the fourth quarter. It was the first time the Raiders offense scored more than 20 points in a game this season.

Pierce’s new offensive coordinator Bo Hardegree hit all the right buttons early and often, especially in the running game, which showed newfound potency. As for the passing game, O’Connell played mistake-free football and made throws that the Raiders’ other quarterbacks simply can’t make.

Winner: QB Aidan O’Connell

The Raiders’ new regime chose O’Connell over former starter Jimmy Garoppolo, and O’Connell rewarded their choice with stellar play, especially for a rookie signal caller.

O’Connell was 9-10 passing in the first half and posted a 118.8 QB rating. He cooled down in the second half, as did the entire Raiders offense, but O’Connell finished the game with 209 yards on 16-25 passing. He didn’t have a touchdown, but he also didn’t turn the ball over, which is huge for a team trying to claw back to contention.

Winner: RB Josh Jacobs

Running back Josh Jacobs had his season high in rushing yards in the first half, posting 85 yards on the ground and two touchdowns. He finished just shy of a 100-yard day with 98 yards on 26 carries.

The run game is a huge key to unlocking the Raiders offense, and it’s clear that McDaniels had no clue how to get the job done. The offensive line deserves credit as well for adjusting to some new run plays, showing athleticism in space as pulling blockers and on zone runs.

Winner: DE Maxx Crosby

Once again, defensive end Maxx Crosby showed he’s one of the NFL’s best, posting three QB sacks, three tackles for loss, three QB hits, and eight tackles (six solo).

Crosby’s teammates followed his lead and the defense feasted on Giants’ quarterbacks, especially backup Tommy DeVito. He entered the game for injured starter Daniel Jones, who left early in the second quarter. Overall, the Raiders had eight QB sacks and nine QB hits as a team.

Winner: WR Hunter Renfrow

Seldom used by the last Raiders regime, WR Hunter Renfrow looked like himself on Sunday, catching two passes on three targets. It wasn’t much, but his catches epitomized the breath of fresh air that the entire team clearly enjoyed.

O’Connell spread the ball around, completing passes to eight different receivers, and there were no receiving touchdowns, though WR Jakobi Meyers got the scoring started with a 17-yard touchdown run. The Raiders’ leading man on offense, WR Davante Adams, had four catches for 34 yards. But with the emergence of Renfrow, the Raiders have yet another playmaker in the mix as they attempt to push for the playoffs.

Winner: CB Amik Robertson

Cornerback Amik Robertson continues to make big plays that offset his occasionally-suspect coverage. His interception at the goal line in the second quarter helped the Raiders continue their hot start, as he returned the ball 40 yards to give the Raiders great field position.

After a 50-yard completion from O’Connell to WR Tre Tucker on the ensuing possession, Jacobs ran for his second touchdown and the Raiders led 21-0. Robertson also had an aggressive pass breakup in the fourth quarter as the Giants attempted a desperate 4th-and-5 play.

Cornerback Nate Hobbs and an interception as well, on a tipped ball by CB Marcus Peters on the Giants’ first snap after Robertson’s pick. But it’s Robertson who always seems to make big plays that reward his coaches for playing him.

Winner: Team owner Mark Davis

Raiders owner Mark Davis pulled the plug on the Josh McDaniels regime, and after one game, it very much appears he made the right call. It’s anyone’s guess what the future holds for the Raiders and who will lead the team next season. But for now, Davis’ bold move looks brilliant.

Plus, Davis was feeling so good about his decision that he changed up his infamous bowl-cut hairstyle. Talk about calling your own shot.

Also, I’ll squeeze two honorable mentions for the winner list: rookie LB Amari Burney and rookie DE Tyree Wilson. Burney stepped up as a starter due to injuries to Divine Deablo and Luke Masterson. He had six tackles and looked solid given his inexperience. Wilson notched a half-sack late in the game, which can only add to his confidence and help his first-round talent materialize. He also had four tackles.

Loser: Josh McDaniels

It was already clear to many, but now it’s more obvious than ever: Josh McDaniels is not a good football coach. He got run out of Vegas and the Raiders looked exponentially better without him, especially on offense, McDaniels’ supposed specialty.

Suddenly, the Raiders prime time game next Sunday night against the Jets in Las Vegas is full of intrigue. Can the Raiders’ new regime keep the good times rolling? Or will they be one-game wonders? We’ll find out soon enough, and a newly energized Raider Nation undoubtedly can’t wait to see what Pierce’s Raiders do next.