Antonio Pierce of Las Vegas Raiders speaking (left). Patrick Mahomes of Kansas City Chiefs looking to pass (right).
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce wants to take a page out of the Detroit Pistons’ “Bad Boys” era to contain the NFL’s best player.

Appearing on Maxx Crosby’s “The Rush” podcast (h/t Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk), Pierce explained that the Raiders will take inspiration from the Pistons and the “Jordan Rules” and make up “the Patrick Mahomes rules.”

Here’s how Pierce explained his idea:
“We’ve got the Jordan rules and we’ve got what I’m calling now, from now on as long as I’m here, the Patrick Mahomes rules. You remember when Jordan was going through it with the Pistons, all those guys in the ’80s before he became Michael Jordan, Air Jordan, the Pistons used to whip his a*s. Any time he came to the hole, elbows, feeling him, love taps. We’re in his head, mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, I’m touching you. So I showed my guys Jordan getting his a*s whooped.”

We’ve got to knock off the head of the snake. Fifteen. Hate the color red. There’s a hatred for the Chiefs.”

The Pistons’ strategies in containing Chicago Bulls superstar Michael Jordan were referred to as the “Jordan Rules”. Detroit’s stingy defense used their size, physicality and toughness to contain the game’s greatest player.

Jordan’s Bulls were eliminated by the “Bad Boys” Pistons in the postseason in 1988, 1989 and 1990. The Bulls finally broke through by sweeping Detroit in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals en route to their first of six NBA titles in the ’90s decade.


Mahomes is 10-2 in his career against the Raiders, but the most recent defeat against the AFC West rivals came on Christmas Day. Pierce and his Raiders pieced together a near-flawless gameplan that afternoon, leaving Arrowhead with a stunning 20-14 victory.

The 45-year-old Pierce went 5-4 as the Raiders’ interim head coach after taking over for Josh McDaniels mid-season. He was handed the full-time HC duties last month.