Antonio Pierce seems like a man regretting the Raiders not keeping Josh Jacobs

Somehow, the Las Vegas Raiders are 1-1 to begin the 2024 campaign despite having the worst rushing attack in the NFL. They managed to win in Week 2 despite their inability to move the ball through the ground. However, head coach Antonio Pierce knows that's not a sustainable formula for success.

"That's poor," Pierce stated on Monday regarding Las Vegas' run game (or lack thereof) following their 26-23 upset victory over the Baltimore Ravens. "That's piss-poor," he added, per Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. 

If only Pierce had a one-time All-Pro running back to take the pressure off quarterback Gardner Minshew and balance out the offense. Oh wait, he did in the form of Josh Jacobs, but the Raiders let him walk in free agency this past offseason.

Do you think Pierce misses Jacobs? He didn't directly admit it, but his comments inadvertently say it all.

Antonio Pierce seems like a man regretting the Raiders not keeping Josh Jacobs

Pierce said the Raiders' rushing unit hasn't been "good enough," emphasizing that the offensive line must do better moving forward.

"The big boys up front got to block. Bottom line,” Pierce stated. “They know it -- we’re going to talk about that.

As a former Pro Bowl linebacker, Pierce has routinely stressed his desire for Las Vegas to embody a rugged, ground-and-pound style of play. He wants to play smash-mouth football, though it's proven to be much easier said than done for the Raiders through two weeks of this season.

Here's how Las Vegas ranks in the following team rushing stats (provided by TeamRankings.com):

• Rushing yards per game: 49.0 (32nd)
• Yards per rush attempt: 2.5 (32nd)
• Rushing first downs per game: 1.0 (32nd)

Las Vegas has struggled to get anything going on the ground thus far. It's been so bad that Pierce has strayed away from sticking to his guns, demonstrated by the Raiders' league-low 32.77 percent rush-play rate.

Having Jacobs in the backfield wouldn't fix all of Las Vegas' problems, considering that was still the case in 2023 when he was around. But seeing the star tailback practically double their rushing yard output and per-tote efficiency presumably stings for Pierce.

Jacobs' successor and incumbent starter, Zamir White, must set the tone for the Raiders. Pierce said his "goal" is to get the 2022 fourth-rounder "20-plus touches" weekly, so he won't lack for opportunity.