Antonio Pierce criticizes Raiders for 'business decisions' that contributed to their loss.

 Antonio Pierce was visibly frustrated at the postgame podium, rocking back and forth for over five minutes as he sought answers after the Raiders' shocking 36-22 loss to the Carolina Panthers.

Pierce was clear: his team failed to show up for their home opener, and he took aim at unnamed players.

"As the game went on," he said, "there were definitely individuals making business decisions. We’ll be making business decisions going forward too. We got our ass whupped... I would have booed us, too."

The stakes were high for the home opener, coming off an emotional win against the Baltimore Ravens. The winless Panthers had just benched their former No. 1 draft pick, Bryce Young, in favor of veteran Andy Dalton, and the Raiders' offense appeared to be clicking. This loss felt reminiscent of several past embarrassments for the team.

Maxx Crosby, the Raiders' defensive end, emphasized the need for self-reflection. "A lot of people have to look in the mirror," he said. "It’s not the end of the world, but it’s a wake-up call. We have to be better. Simple as that."

The Raiders were dominated, allowing 437 total yards and losing time of possession 36:02 to 23:58. Offensively, they only managed 55 rushing yards out of 331 total yards, and trailed by as much as 33-7 early in the fourth quarter.

Wide receiver Davante Adams seemed uncertain about Pierce's comments regarding "business decisions" late in the game. "This is tough for me to identify," he admitted, after catching four passes for 40 yards.

Crosby noted, "You've got to watch the film. It just wasn't good enough. Just a bad loss. We didn’t play our best football." 

Pierce later addressed his decision to replace starting quarterback Gardner Minshew with Aidan O'Connell late in the game. "The game was kind of out of hand. We have two quarterbacks who battled in camp. Let the other guy see what he can do," he said.

O'Connell led a touchdown drive, completing 9 of 12 passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. Minshew finished with 214 passing yards, a touchdown, and an interception.

"It sucks, especially at home," O'Connell said. "You wanted to take a step forward, but we'll bounce back. The good thing about football is there’s always another game next week."