The Las Vegas Raiders hired Pete Carroll to be their head coach this offseason to match the experience and winning pedigree of the other leaders in the AFC West. Carroll, the Broncos' Sean Payton, Chiefs' Andy Reid and Chargers' Jim Harbaugh have all been around the block a time or two.
Carroll also has a longstanding rivalry with Harbaugh, which dates back to their days coaching in the Pac-10 Conference at USC and Stanford, respectively. That rivalry continued in the NFC West when Carroll led the Seattle Seahawks and Harbaugh coached the San Francisco 49ers.
Though these two have been evenly matched throughout their careers, one game, in particular, surely stands out to Harbaugh. On December 23, 2012, the Seahawks and 49ers played on Sunday Night Football, and Carroll delivered a 42-13 beatdown of the 49ers, on Harbaugh's birthday, to boot.
Jim Harbaugh returns the favor in birthday beatdown of Pete Carroll and Raiders
Well, on Monday night, Harbaugh got to return the favor. On what was Carroll's 74th birthday, Harbaugh and the Chargers stomped into Allegiant Stadium in primetime and took down the Silver and Black in a game that was never really in reach for the Raiders.
Quarterback Geno Smith throwing an interception on the first play of the game was a harbinger of what was to come, as the veteran threw three total interceptions on the day. The Raiders' offense mustered just nine points in the embarrassing defeat.
Fortunately, the defense fared incredibly well and kept Los Angeles to 20 points, which made the final score look respectable. But this felt like a lopsided game from the beginning, and it is abundantly clear that Las Vegas has a lot to figure out.
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Harbaugh and his team look incredibly formidable, but the Raiders were able to hang around even though Smith played a historically bad game. There are no moral victories in the NFL; however, there are some wins that are sweeter than others.
Taking down Carroll on his birthday in front of a national audience has to be one for Harbaugh, who evened the two's NFL head-to-head record to 5-5, while taking over the all-time series by a spread of 7-6.
Carroll and his team will have to regroup, and fast. They'll travel to the East Coast on a short week with a massive rest disadvantage to take on the Washington Commanders in Week 3, and getting to 2-1 will be paramount. But for now, Carroll will have to sit on the worst birthday gift of all: a loss to Harbaugh.