WATCH: ‘Emotional’ Antonio Pierce tears up after Raiders’ ‘ground-breaking’ win over the Chiefs in Kansas City

Pierce congratulated the Raiders players and staff for the hard-fought win at Arrowhead.

WATCH: ‘Emotional’ Antonio Pierce tears up after Raiders’ ‘ground-breaking’ win over the Chiefs in Kansas City

Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierce after beating the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas day (Screengrab YouTube)

The Las Vegas Raiders were a massive 10-point underdog going into the Christmas game at Arrowhead against the Kansas City Chiefs. It was a big challenge for Antonio Pierce to secure a win against their AFC West rivals, whom they had not beaten in their previous six attempts.

The reverse fixture in November at Vegas finished 31-17 in favor of the Chiefs. Being a divisional rivalry, the Raiders have suffered a lot of trolling and pain during that time. So something had to be given. Even though the season is a minor disaster, a win over the reigning Super Bowl winners and arch-nemesis would restore the lost pride.

It only took a couple of defensive touchdowns from Jack Jones and Bilal Nichols to clinch a 20-14 win on the night for Pierce’s side. After the game, CBS caught up with the Raiders interim head coach, who appeared to be emotional.

Hell of a job by those guys, our staff, Patrick Graham [defensive coordinator]—it's tough.

Pierce’s eyes could be seen slightly numbed by tears of joy at the much-awaited victory.

Antonio Pierce was pumped in the Raiders locker room after the game

The Chiefs’ victory landed the Raiders at 7-8 for the season, and it keeps them in the hunt for a winning season. Not only did it ruin Christmas for their rivals, but it also ended their chances of clinching the #1 AFC seed.

WATCH: ‘Emotional’ Antonio Pierce tears up after Raiders’ ‘ground-breaking’ win over the Chiefs in Kansas City
Antonio Pierce at Post-match press conference following the win over Chiefs (Screengrab YouTube)

Where the players on offense lacked flair, the defense shined the brightest. It was a physical win. And that was reflected in Antonio Pierce‘s locker room speech.

Everything we talked about. Violence. Physicality. Execution. The will to win. Look at that second quarter. What did we say we were going to do? two defensive touchdowns in seven seconds. Third quarter. Come right back out. What do we do? And we say the fourth quarter. Finish 'em. Offense, hell of a job, man.

But it’s a team game, and as much as he praised his defense, Pierce didn’t forget to give the offensive players their due credit.

Man, you haven't even done a lot around here doing what we just did. We believe. Remember what I said? I will. We will. I believe. we believe. Goddam, this is what the hell we do. Let's smoke our sh*t. Let's talk about sh*t. The Raiders goddamn way.

According to NFL.com, the Las Vegas Raiders have a 12% chance of them making it to the playoffs. The teams they have to go through to achieve that dream are the Indianapolis Colts (8-7) and the Denver Broncos (7-8).

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