NFL coach calls his own team the ‘worst in football’ ahead of Chiefs showdown

Raiders coach Antonio Pierce branded his team ‘the worst team in football’ ahead of this week’s clash against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Las Vegas sits bottom of the AFC West after a dismal 9-2 start to the season. On Friday, Pierce’s team visits Arrowhead Stadium to face the back-to-back Super Bowl champions.

The Raiders have lost all of their past seven games ahead of Friday’s trip to face the Chiefs, who are 10-1 as they chase a three-peat.

‘The best team in football against the worst team in football,’ is how Pierce described Friday’s matchup in Kansas City. 

‘Let’s call a spade a spade,’ he added, before urging his team to ‘change the narrative’.  ‘Let’s go out there and make it a dogfight,’ Pierce continued. ‘Let’s make it ugly, let’s make it scrappy, it’s black Friday (so) let’s create a little chaos.’

‘Let’s get back to Raider football and have some fun, some personality and let it loose.’ 

‘The best team in football against the worst team in football,’ he said ahead of facing the Chiefs

The Chiefs won 27-20 at Allegiant Stadium in October but this meeting comes less than a year after the Raiders dented Kansas City’s Super Bowl hopes with victory at Arrowhead Stadium.

On Christmas Day, Las Vegas won 20-14 after scoring two defensive touchdowns in two plays thanks to a Patrick Mahomes fumble and an interception.

This year, Aidan O’Connell is slated to start at quarterback for the Raiders after Gardner Minshew suffered a season-ending collarbone injury.

O’Connell broke his thumb in Week 7 against the Los Angeles Rams. But he returned to practice this week and Pierce insisted: ‘Aidan’s looking good’ 

‘I feel good about Aidan. He’s dialed in. Through this time (when) he’s been on (injured reserve), he’s been at all the meetings, he’s been very encouraging on the sideline. He’s got that laser-eye focus.’

Pierce has selected O’Connell over Desmond Ridder, who replaced Minshew during Sunday’s loss to the Denver Broncos.