Antonio Pierce says his Raiders will channel the “bad boy” Detroit Pistons when they play the Chiefs with Patrick Mahomes as long as he is the Las Vegas head coach.
On a recent episode of Maxx Crosby's “Rush” Podcast.Pierce discussed how he got his team ready to play the Chiefs before they pulled off a 20-14 Christmas Day upset in Kansas City, which was the Chiefs' last loss of the season before they went on to win Super Bowl LVIII.
The week before the game, Pierce, then the interim coach, expressed to his team that they needed to “hate the color red” and showed them videos of famous boxing and mixed martial arts fights and how the NBA's Detroit Pistons came close to playing Hall of Famer Michael. Jordan in the late 1980s, with a tough defensive game plan created by coach Chuck Daly.
“We have the Jordan rules and what I call, 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 kick his ass. What time did he come to the hole? Elbows, 'feel it, love taps . We touched it. We're in the head, mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually, I'm touching you. So, I showed these guys Jordan beating his ass.”
In that Christmas Day game, the Raiders sacked Mahomes four times and finished with 10 quarterback hits. They also scored two defensive touchdowns, including a pick six off Mahomes by cornerback Jack Jones. The four sacks are tied for the second-most by Mahomes in a game in his career. After that game, the Chiefs went on to win six straight games, including four playoff appearances, culminating in a Super Bowl victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
Pierce, who was hired as the team's head coach after the season, said on the podcast that the Raiders gave the NFL the “recipe” for 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 with a win that day. Reid sent the text as the Chiefs moved into the Raiders' facility, their home before the Super Bowl.
“I just said, 'Hey, nice facility, first and foremost. And I appreciate you letting us go because you taught us a lesson. If you get complacent in this business, the margin between winning and losing is slim,'” Reed said.
Pierce said the Chiefs' use of the Raiders' facility at Allegiant Stadium before the Super Bowl will serve as a “motivation” for his team. He said his team needs to win the AFC West title if it is to achieve its goal of becoming consistent winners. The Chiefs have won the division the past eight seasons.
“We have to win the division first. We have to knock out the team in red. They have dominated [eight] Years. “We have to cut off the head of the snake: 15. We have to do that first,” he said.
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