Pete Carroll’s Raiders hire rekindles old rivalry with Jim Harbaugh in AFC West
Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh have a longstanding rivalry that traces back to the time when the latter was a rookie quarterback.
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Pete Carroll, Jim Harbaugh (Image via Getty Images/X)
After a short hiatus, Pete Carroll is back in the NFL as the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders. The entry of Carroll has made the AFC West significantly stronger heading into the next season. Amongst the four head coaches of this division, there have been 20 conference championship games and nine Super Bowl appearances.
Peter Clay Carroll’s (73) new role at the Las Vegas Raiders has also added another exciting layer. Carroll and his longstanding rival Jim Harbaugh, the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, could kick off the third chapter in their rivalry.
In 2024, Harbaugh took the Chargers into the postseason and bowed out against the Houston Texans in the wild-card game. On the other hand, the Raiders, marred by quarterback troubles and changing personnel, finished last in the group with four wins.
The rivalry between Harbaugh and Carroll traces back to October 11, 1987, when Harbaugh was a rookie quarterback for the Chicago Bears, and Carroll was a third-year secondary coach for the Minnesota Vikings. That season, the Bears swept the Vikings 2-0, though Harbaugh didn’t take the field in either game.
Carroll and Harbaugh first truly squared off on September 23, 1991, when Harbaugh led the Bears to a 19-13 win over the New York Jets. Caroll had signed up as the defensive coordinator for the Jets, a position he maintained from 1990 to 1993. Harbaugh shined in the matchup, throwing for 303 yards and a touchdown on 28-of-42 passing. However, that was the only match Harbaugh won as a player against Caroll.
In the three meetings that followed the Bears vs. Jets game, Carroll won them all. Once as San Francisco 49ers DC and a season sweep as the New England Patriots HC.
Jim Harbaugh and Pete Carroll meet in Pac-10
In 2002, Harbaugh retired from playing, and he quickly rose to the ranks as a coach. In 2007, Harbaugh joined the Stanford program as their head coach with an aim to bolster the team after a dismal year before. Meanwhile, Carroll and the USC Trojans were straight off a Rose Bowl victory.
The first clash between Harbaugh and Carroll in Pac-10 took place on October 6, 2007, at the LA Coliseum. Harbaugh’s Stanford team, sitting at 1-3, faced a seemingly insurmountable challenge against Carroll’s 4-0 USC squad, ranked No. 2 in the nation and favored by a staggering 42 points.
USC led 16-7 heading into the fourth quarter, but Harbaugh staged one of the biggest upsets that, at the time, marked the biggest point-spread shock in college football history. It was later surpassed a decade later when Howard toppled UNLV as a 45-point underdog.
This is the real story. What’s your deal? https://t.co/P6a621w7Y6 pic.twitter.com/zXjjLrCgIe
— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) January 24, 2025
The USC Trojans and Stanford Cardinal faced off two more times during the Harbaugh-Carroll era. In 2008, USC defeated Stanford en route to the Pac-10 Championship, a game that ended with a fiery exchange between the two head coaches. However, Harbaugh and the Cardinal got the last laugh in 2009 winning the last matchup and cementing their place in the rivalry.
The rivalry continued in the NFC West
Pete Carroll joined the Seattle Seahawks in 2010 while Jim Harbaugh took on his first NFL head coaching gig a year later. In the first two years, Harbaugh had the upper hand, keeping a 3-1 record over Carroll.
In the year 2013, the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers split the regular season and made it to the NFC Championship game. The fiery game is long considered one of the best conference games in recent history. Fueled by the intense rivalry between the two head coaches, it was a sight to witness.
San Francisco controlled the game until Seattle seized the lead with 13:44 remaining, thanks to a wide receiver pass to Russell Wilson. The 49ers’ final three possessions ended in turnovers. On 1st-and-10 at the Seattle 18 with 30 seconds left, Colin Kaepernick’s end-zone pass to Michael Crabtree was tipped by Richard Sherman into the hands of Malcolm Smith, sealing the game for Seattle. Two weeks later, the Seattle Seahawks cruised to a title defeating the Denver Broncos in the final.
As the 2024 season inches into conclusion, the AFC West is one of the most hyped up divisions in the league. Spearheaded by the Kansas City Chiefs, who have clinched the division for the past nine years, the divisional games are expected to spice in the upcoming year. Will Carroll and Harbaugh start with where they left off?
Related: Jalen Hurts addresses knee injury ahead of NFC Championship after divisional win over Rams
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Mohammed Bazim
(443 Articles Published)