The Las Vegas Raiders were blown out by the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, drawing the ire of head coach Antonio Pierce during his post-game press conference.

Pierce lamented the efforts of his players, telling reporters that some made “business decisions” on the field. He also suggested that players who made such decisions were risking their jobs.

Pierce didn’t name names. And we’re not going to speculate about the job security of individual players based on Pierce’s insinuations. But it’s fair to say that the Raiders as individuals and as a whole had one of the worst performances of the NFL season on Sunday.

The once-miserable Panthers offense catches fire against the Raiders

The Panthers started Sunday in disarray, allowing a single touchdown and a combined 13 points in losses to the Saints and Chargers to open the season. Their offense was the worst in football.

They benched quarterback and former No. 1 overall draft pick Bryce Young in favor of veteran backup Andy Dalton on Monday. In a 36-22 win over the Raiders, Dalton recalled his former Pro Bowl form (last seen with the Bengals in 2016) with one of the best passing performances of the young NFL season.

Dalton completed 70 percent of his passes for 319 yards with three touchdowns and no turnovers against a hapless Raiders defense. It was the first time this season that an NFL quarterback threw for 300 yards and three touchdowns in a single game. The Panthers produced a 100-yard rusher in Chuba Hubbard (114 yards) and a 100-yard receiver in Diontae Johnson (122 yards, 1 TD).

Yes, they had a new quarterback. But this was the Panthers’ highest-scoring performance since 2022 and only the second time since the start of the 2023 season that they’ve scored 30-plus points. Dalton was a dramatic improvement over Young, but the Raiders offered little resistance.

The Raiders’ offense wasn’t much better. Las Vegas scored a measly 15 points in the fourth quarter. But the game was over when the Panthers took a 33-7 lead early in the fourth quarter. This all happened on a Raiders home game.

Raiders executives and Pro Bowlers Davante Adams and Maxx Crosby were both asked for their thoughts on Pierce’s “business decisions” comment. Neither chose to speculate on which players Pierce was referring to.

“I feel like I don’t know — it’s hard for me to identify that,” Adams said, per ESPN. “I’m not sure.”

Crosby elaborated further, but did not name any names.

Pierce, a former NFL linebacker, is in his first full-time season as the Raiders’ head coach after earning the job in nine games with an interim tag last season. He earned the job in part because of his good relationships and ability to connect with players.

Sunday marks a low point in his tenure and the first significant sign of turmoil in the locker room since Pierce took over. How he and the Raiders respond going forward will go a long way in defining his tenure in Las Vegas.