We only have a small sample size to go on, but Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce no doubt has an impressive body of work so far.
After taking over for the disaster that was Josh McDaniels in Week 9, Pierce steered the Raiders to a 5-4 record down the stretch with rookie Aidan O'Connell under center.
But it was more than just about the record for Pierce. He clearly rallied the locker room around him and had the Raiders playing better football, especially on defense.
After public support from star players like Maxx Crosby and Davante Adams, the Raiders rightly hired Pierce as their next full-time head coach.
When trying to rank Pierce among NFL head coaches, it's very difficult because he's only been at the helm for nine games.
So, it comes as no surprise that he landed at No. 25 in Pro Football Network's recent head coach rankings that were compiled by Dallas Robinson.
Antonio Pierce immediately transformed the Raiders’ locker room culture after the departure of former HC Josh McDaniels, so much so that Las Vegas’ players vigorously campaigned for Pierce to remain the club’s full-time head coach. While judging a nine-game sample is challenging, Pierce deserves a chance to prove himself in 2024.
Pierce has taken over a veteran roster that fully believes in him and has enough talent to make noise in 2024.
If the Raiders continue moving in the direction they were to close out the 2023 campaign, we could be talking about a very different ranking in 2025.