Antonio Pierce calls out players for lackluster outing vs lowly Panthers

The Las Vegas Raiders looked to turn a corner last week with a tremendous effort in an upset over the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium, rallying from a pair of 10-point deficits to stun the team that finished the best record in the AFC last season.

With their home opener coming up against a dreadful Carolina Panthers team that benched Bryce Young this week, the stage was set for a Vegas revival.

The Raiders weren't up to the moment, looking disinterested at best and dreadful at worst as the Panthers walked into Allegiant Stadium and put up 36 points on the Raiders. Andy Dalton turned back the clock to his Bengals' days, completing 26-of-37 passes for 319 yards and three touchdowns.

Head coach Antonio Pierce had steam coming out of his ears watching this game and made sure to let the world know he saw major issues with the team's performance in Week 3.

Antonio Pierce promises changes after Raiders' loss

When he was asked by the assembled media to discuss what went wrong for the Raiders in their loss, Pierce didn't pull any punches, calling out individuals who made "business decisions" as a big factor in the loss.

While Pierce didn't name any specific players in the presser, it is alarming for a coach to have to call out players for poor effort in Week 3 of the season.

While veterans like Davante Adams have demonstrated frustration on the field at points, it is Pierce's job to identify whether they are simply unhappy with their roles or taking their frustrations into account when determining how much effort to apply to the game, which would be a negative for the team's professionalism.

The fact that Pierce alluded to the team making business decisions indicates he is open to making lineup changes to bench players who he feels aren't giving an appropriate effort level. There is still a lot of football left to be played, but the fact Pierce had to question effort level in Week 3 is a very bad sign for the Raiders' prospects this season.