The Los Angeles Chargers didn't truly have a dog in the fight in this Super Bowl, although seeing the New England Patriots get stomped on the biggest stage had to feel a little sweet.
The Seattle Seahawks won in absolutely dominant fashion, holding the Patriots to zero points on the board well into the fourth quarter. It was a convincing win, and there's absolutely nothing left to prove for Mike Macdonald's ascendant team.
Both of these squads have come a long way from where they were at within the past couple of seasons. The Patriots pulled off an epic turnaround from their abysmal 2024 season, when they finished 4-13 and last place in the AFC East.
The Seahawks, meanwhile, escaped from the organizational turmoil that came with the end of the Pete Carroll era, bringing their defense to fruition under Macdonald and finding a diamond in the rough in Sam Darnold to lead the offense.
As ironic as it may seem, Carroll's departure brought success to the Seahawks. Even more ironically, it brought the same to the Patriots at the turn of the century.
As a result, the Chargers could soon be facing that same irony in their own division.
If Pete Carroll's history tells us anything, the Raiders may soon be in line for a massive turnaround
Carroll has been a legendary coach over the duration of his career, but a pattern seems to be lining up.
After three seasons coaching New England between 1997 and 1999, Carroll was fired when the team posted an 8-8 record and missed the playoffs. The Patriots won the Super Bowl two years later under Bill Belichick.
At the end of the 2023 season, Carroll was fired by the Seahawks after multiple seasons of mediocrity. Two years later, Macdonald has brought the organization to the summit: a feat they had not accomplished since their epic run in 2013.
As Chargers fans will know, Carroll was fired by the Las Vegas Raiders at the end of this season. Sensing anything familiar here?
Of course, the Raiders have a long way to go to complete the turnarounds those two organizations did. Their star defensive player is on the way out, and they have significant work to do to across their roster.
Yet with a strong offensive-minded head coach in Klint Kubiak and offensive weapons in Brock Bowers, Ashton Jeanty, and (probably) Fernando Mendoza, anything's on the table. At least it is two seasons after you fire Pete Carroll, apparently.