2 weeks Ago By Daniel Chavkin
The NFL will play its second ever Black Friday game this week, with the Chiefs hosting the Raiders the day after Thanksgiving. When the league and Prime Video planned this game, though, they were likely hoping for a more competitive contest. Entering Week 13, Kansas City is eight wins better than Las Vegas on the season.
With the Raiders looking to pull off the major upset against the defending Super Bowl champions, head coach Antonio Pierce is taking an unconventional approach. While speaking with reporters ahead of the game, Pierce called Las Vegas "the worst team in football," not trying to shy away from what Las Vegas has done so far this year. Here is why Pierce was brutally honest with the news media before Black Friday.
MORE NFL: Week 13 NFL playoff picture Week 13 NFL Power Rankings Week 13 NFL picks Week 13 NFL picks against the spread Why Antonio Pierce called Raiders 'the worst team in football' As the 2-9 Raiders are preparing to play the 10-1 Chiefs on Black Friday, Las Vegas faces a daunting task. This game features a team tied with the best record in the NFL facing a team tied for the worst. Therefore, head coach Antonio Pierce is trying to embrace the underdog mentality instead of running away from it.
"Let's call a spade a spade, right, the best team in football against the worst team in football," Pierce said Wednesday. "Let's change the narrative, alright? "Let's go out there and make it a dogfight. Let's make it ugly.
Let's make it scrappy. It's Black Friday, let's create a little chaos." #Raiders HC Antonio Pierce on Friday's game vs.
the Chiefs: "Let's call a spade a spade. Best team in football against the worst team in football. Let's change the narrative.
" pic.twitter.com/P9CCAaaCDa The Raiders do have experience pulling off an upset against the Chiefs, as they went into Kansas City and won last year on Christmas Day, 20-16.
At the time of that game, the Raiders were 6-8, while the Chiefs were 9-5, so the difference in the teams' records wasn't quite as stark as it is this year. Are the Raiders the worst team in the NFL? The Raiders enter Week 13 of the 2024 season as one of three teams with a 2-9 record, along with the Jaguars and Giants. Among those three teams, though, the Raiders have played the toughest schedule, which means that they hold the No.
3 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft as it stands right now, with the Jaguars at No. 1 and the Giants at No. 2.
Strength of schedule is the first tiebreaker for draft position. After starting 2-1 on the season, the Raiders have lost seven consecutive games, including at home to their AFC West rival Chiefs a few weeks ago. They own the longest active losing streak in the NFL at seven, one loss more than the Giants.
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