Antonio Pierce Calls Out Raiders Players Who Made ‘Business Decisions’ During Loss To Panthers

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The Las Vegas Raiders were embarrassed by the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. And Antonio Pierce isn't mincing any words about who's to blame.

Following the 36-22 loss to Carolina, the Raiders head coach lamented the lack of effort by some of his players — adding that they simply didn't show up for the team's home opener.

"As the game went on, I think there was definitely some individuals that made business decisions," Pierce said. "And we'll make business decisions going forward, as well.

"We got our ass whupped... I would have booed us too."

Pierce didn't name names. But it's fair to say that the team's performance, as a whole, was a disappointment.

The Panthers came into Sunday's game as the worst offense in the NFL, having scored just one touchdown and a combined 13 points in two losses to open the season. Carolina benched former No. 1 overall draft pick Bryce Young in favor of veteran quarterback Andy Dalton, and Dalton played a heck of a game.

The QB completed 70% of his passes for 319 yards with three touchdowns and no turnovers against a lackluster Las Vegas defense.

Players Respond to Antonio Pierce

Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby was asked about this week's defensive woes and his thoughts on Pierce's "business decisions" comment.

"I don't know," Crosby said. "There's a lot of things. You've got to watch the film. Just wasn't good enough. Just a bad loss. I mean, sh*tty. We didn't play our best football. 

"We've got a lot of people that have to look in the mirror. Everybody's got to continue getting better. It's not the end of the world, but it's a wake-up call, you know what I mean? We've got to be better."

Wide receiver Davante Adams, who was involved in plenty of trade speculation over the summer and definitely didn't look happy on Sunday, was also asked about the strong words his coach had for Raiders players. But he didn't have much insight to share.

"I feel like, I don't know, this is tough for me to identify that," said Adams, who had four catches on nine targets for 40 yards. "I'm not sure."

RELATED: Davante Adams Calls 'Bull' On Reports That He's Unhappy With Raiders

Las Vegas has an opportunity to bounce back on Sunday against Deshaun Watson and a struggling Cleveland Browns team. But that will depend on what kind of "business decisions" are made.