The Pete Carroll era in Las Vegas is off to the perfect start.
The Raiders, thanks to a very solid outing from Geno Smith, held on to beat the New England Patriots 20-13 on the road on Sunday afternoon. It marked the first win for Carroll since he took over in Las Vegas, and handed new Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel his first loss at Gillette Stadium.
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The win was Carroll’s first NFL victory with a franchise other than the Seattle Seahawks since 1999, when he was with the Patriots. Carroll, who will turn 74 next week, is now officially the oldest head coach in NFL history. He’s easily the oldest active head coach in the league, too, and is more than seven years older than Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid. While he may not be a true long-term play for the Raiders at this point in his career, his quest to revive the franchise after a tumultuous start in Nevada looks like it’s moving in the right direction.
Pete Carroll is now a perfect 1-0 with the Raiders. (Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
(Mike Stobe via Getty Images)
The Raiders wasted no time on Sunday in Massachusetts. They scored on their opening drive after Smith found a wide open Tre Tucker for a 26-yard touchdown in the corner of the end zone.
Though the Patriots ended up taking a three-point lead at the break, they completely stalled out in the second half. Former Boise State star Ashton Jeanty scored his first career NFL touchdown in the third quarter when he punched in a three-yard score, and then Daniel Carlson drilled a pair of field goals to push their lead to two possessions by the midway point of the third quarter.
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Smith’s lone mistake came in the first quarter after his scoring drive. He was trying to find tight end Brock Bowers in triple coverage on the sidelines, but the ball was tipped and immediately intercepted. That led to the Patriots’ lone touchdown of the day.
Bowers had a massive day for the Raiders, too. He had 103 yards on five catches, including a 38-yard grab, on the day. It marked his third 100-yard game of his career, which is tied for the 10th most in NFL history among tight ends in their first two seasons in the league. Bowers, who the Raiders took with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft out of Georgia, had 1,194 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie.
Bowers went into the medical tent in the second half, however, and was deemed questionable to return with a knee injury. Bowers said after the game that he was fine, and that he just took a little hit on his knee that needed to be checked out.
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The Raiders had a chance to seal the win late in the fourth quarter, but their drive stalled out and they had to punt it away. That resulted in one final push from Drake Maye, who quickly marched the Patriots into Raiders territory with a couple of deep passes to Kayshon Boutte. But that run came too late, and they had to settle for a field goal with less than 30 seconds left. Once the Raiders recovered the onside kick attempt, the seven-point win was theirs.
Maye went 30-of-46 for 287 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the loss for New England. TreVeyon Henderson led them on the ground, though he had just 27 yards on five carries. Boutte had 103 receiving yards on six catches. Vrabel took over for Jerod Mayo, who lasted just one season with the franchise.
Smith ended up going 24-of-34 for 362 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the win. Jeanty had 38 yards and his touchdown on 19 carries. Jakobi Meyers, who is still waiting on his contract extension with the franchise, had 97 yards on eight catches.
Carroll still has a long way to go to actually turn the Raiders around. The team went just 4-13 last season, and Carroll is the fifth head coach or interim head coach the franchise has had since it relocated to Las Vegas ahead of the 2020 campaign. The team hasn’t won a playoff game since 2002, when they made it to the Super Bowl, and they’ve only been to the playoffs twice since then.
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But opening the season with a road win on the complete other side of the country is the perfect start for Carroll and the Raiders as they enter this new era. They’re on their way.