Pete Carroll vs. Sean Payton
Pete Carroll will clash against his second Super Bowl-winning head coach this season in Sean Payton, who's seemingly completely turned around the Denver Broncos.
After leaving the New Orleans Saints and taking a year off from coaching, Payton inherited a 5-11 team – then proceeded to win 10 games in his second season in charge. While under his direction, he broke Denver's eight-game losing streak to the Raiders with a sweep in 2024. Now in his third season, the Broncos stand at 7-2 and are in the driver's seat to win the AFC West for the first time since 2015.
"He's a really, really good football coach," Carroll said. "I don't know where he considers his start, but all the way back to [Bill] Parcells is where I know he was influenced a great deal. He's always been a really well schooled group that he coaches. They've always had a good attitude about running the football, being physical, and they're a downhill running team, and don't mind working the perimeter, all of that.
"There's nothing about his game that isn't on point," Carroll added. "It's smart, it's aggressive, they're consistent, they take care of the football, they've been doing that for a long time. That's what's made him consistently successful, I think."
As for Carroll, he's a really good football coach in his own right. He also took a year away from coaching before taking his next opportunity to rebuild the Raiders' culture. He's already undergone two massively successful program revitalizations with the USC Trojans and Seattle Seahawks, and stands as one of three coaches in history to win a national championship and a Super Bowl.
"Pete does a great job," Payton told Denver media. "He's always been, I consider, a good friend in the industry. Someone who you know you're going to get a real well-coached team."
Carroll will also be looking to even the score with Payton, as the Broncos head coach is 4-3 in head-to-head matchups against him.