The Las Vegas Raiders have been down in the dumps as a franchise for over two decades now, and it seemed like things would never flip. That's why they brought in Pete Carroll this offseason, who is the ultimate culture builder, and has a winning pedigree and a Super Bowl ring to boot.
Expectations were still fairly tempered for the Silver and Black heading into the 2025 NFL season, however. They made key improvements at pivotal positions, but many felt that they were still a few key moves away from being able to compete with the best teams in the conference.
On Sunday, Carroll and the Raiders put the league on notice, however, with a gratifying 20-13 road win against the New England Patriots in Week 1. More notable, however, was exactly how Las Vegas pulled out the victory, because it was a bit of uncharted territory for Raider Nation in recent years.
Pete Carroll just won an unfamiliar kind of game for the Raiders
After a strong start, Las Vegas quickly fell flat, as they were not able to maintain the momentum from their first drives. A 7-0 lead quickly turned into a 10-7 deficit at the half, and the Raiders looked downright lost and undisiciplined on both sides of the ball for a portion of the second quarter.
Whatever Carroll told the team and his coordinators at halftime, however, worked. The team came out in the second half and cleaned up the penalties, the offense stayed aggressive and made adjustments, and the defense bent and didn't break, pitching a second-half shutout until a late field goal.
A head coach making halftime adjustments is an almost foreign concept to the fan base, as Raider Nation has been clamoring for years to get someone in charge that is adaptable during the game. Carroll was exactly that for Las Vegas, and it only took him one week.
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To make matters more unfamiliar, the Raiders simply won in an uneventful way. There were no crazy plays made or game-deciding calls by the referees; it didn't take a series of non-sustainable plays or an element of luck to pull out the win.
The Raiders simply made adjustments, grabbed the lead, and did not relinquish it. There was never really a moment in the fourth quarter where it felt like the team was going to come crashing down and lose, and they didn't need any heroics to win. Just a simple, boring victory.
Of course, there is nothing boring about a Raiders win, but this felt like uncharted territory for the Silver and Black. A win is a win, but it felt nice to feel confident with a lead as the game was winding down.
Sunday's game had all the makings of a typical Raiders crumbling loss. But pulling out a solid win was Pete Carroll's impact in full effect.