Raiders' Pierce explains questionable punt on 'long' 4th-and-1
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce addressed his controversial decision to punt instead of going for it on fourth-and-1 with 7:15 in the fourth quarter at the Los Angeles Chargers' 43-yard line while trailing by six.
"Considered going to it," Pierce said after his team's 22-10 loss, according to Jesse Merrick of KSNV News 3 Las Vegas. "It was a long one. Got stopped earlier in the game. Momentum. The punter had done a good job pinning those guys back. ... Again, the defense was a strength for the most part of the game. Keep (the Chargers) backed up with three timeouts."
The Raiders became the first team to punt on a fourth-and-1 situation in their opponent's territory while trailing in the fourth quarter since 2016, according to The Associated Press' Josh Dubow.
LV decided to punt to LAC from the LAC 43 on 4th & 1 with 7:15 remaining in the 4th while losing 10 to 16.
— Surrender Index 90 (@surrender_idx90) September 8, 2024
With a Surrender Index of 131.72, this punt ranks at the 100th percentile of cowardly punts of the 2024 season, and the 99.9th percentile of all punts since 1999.
With the questionable punt, the Raiders did force the Chargers to start their offensive series from the 8-yard line. However, Los Angeles posted an eight-play, 92-yard drive that ended with a Ladd McConkey touchdown to seal the victory.
"My job is to run routes and do what's called. I don't want to get into that," Raiders receiver Davante Adams said about Pierce's decision to punt in that situation, according to Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The Raiders will visit the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2.