The Las Vegas Raiders had some difficult decisions to make this offseason after they cleaned house, firing head coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco. New minority owner Tom Brady aided them in their search, and they had no shortage of exciting candidates.
While Brady and the Raiders' ownership group were initially set on former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, the crown jewel of the coaching cycle, he ultimately snubbed the team, which led them to a duo of Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek.
Not only did Johnson choose to lead the Chicago Bears instead, but his agent all but admitted that he used the Raiders as leverage and had no intention of ever coming to Las Vegas. This struck a foul chord in Raider Nation, but thankfully, the Silver and Black got the first laugh.
Raiders' Pete Carroll outclassed Bears' Ben Johnson in Week 1
On Sunday, the Raiders went up to Foxborough and pulled off an unexpected win against the New England Patriots. Carroll was paramount in the victory, as his halftime adjustments made all the difference in the 20-13 win.
By contrast, Johnson and the Bears lost their season opener against the Minnesota Vikings by a score of 27-24. The opposite happened for Johnson, as his team came out like gangbusters and completely melted in the second half, choking away the game to their NFC North foe.
After scoring a touchdown on the first drive, Chicago made just one field goal on the next nine full drives. They also turned it over on downs once, missed a field goal and punted the other six times, blowing a lead that they held for the entire game.
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Chicago marched down and scored a garbage-time touchdown that did not impact the outcome of the game, but it was obvious to see that Johnson has a steep learning curve as a coach. His offense mustered just 17 points despite the Vikings' offense struggling for the majority of the game.
Another familiar face, Dennis Allen, is also the defensive coordinator for the Bears. He had a crucial role in giving away the game as well, considering his unit gave up 21 fourth-quarter points to eventually tank Chicago's chances of winning.
Time will certainly tell who will get the last laugh, but through Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season, the Raiders are way better off with Carroll than the Bears are with Johnson. Perhaps the Silver and Black have more value than just being leverage.