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PETE CARROLL KNEW the cards he was dealt from the moment he signed on to be the Las Vegas Raiders coach after a year away from football. In the AFC West, the star power among the head coaches on the sideline rivals what's seen on the field. Carroll, Sean Payton (Denver Broncos), Jim Harbaugh (Los Angeles Chargers) and Andy Reid (Kansas City Chiefs) have all won at the highest level. They have combined for 741 wins (52 in the postseason), 20 conference championship game appearances, nine Super Bowl appearances and five Super Bowl wins -- three by Reid. Carroll and Harbaugh are the only ones to have coached in a Super Bowl and national title game since the BCS/College Football Playoff began in 1998. "Isn't that something?" Carroll said. "If you're going to be any good, you've got to beat the best teams. You have to beat them, and so if this division is loaded with that, then that's what's going to make us what we are. ... I've got to get my act together." Carroll, 74, has the résumé that stacks up with the rest of his counterparts. He has 183 wins and won more playoff games (10) from 2010 to 2019 with the Seattle Seahawks than the Raiders have won (nine) since 1983. But Carroll and Las Vegas sit at 2-6 going into Thursday night's matchup against Payton and the Broncos on the road (Prime Video, 8:15 p.m. ET). And the gap between the Raiders and the rest of the teams in the division couldn't be any wider. Las Vegas is in last place, and the Chiefs (5-4) are in third place behind the Broncos (7-2) and Chargers (6-3). Even though Carroll is on the outside looking in, the competition level among the coaches has lived up to the billing. "I have a lot of respect for all three coaches and all three quarterbacks. And I mean, where else would you rather be? You got a great division," Raiders general manager John Spytek said. The prime-time showdown between the Broncos and the Raiders will also mark the seventh time Carroll has coached against Payton. The former Saints coach is 4-3 against Carroll. But two of Payton's losses to Carroll came in the postseason. Carroll has the utmost respect for Payton. He said Payton's teams are a "well-schooled group" and notices legendary coach Bill Parcells' influence in the 61-year-old's coaching. Payton worked under Parcells as an assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach for the Dallas Cowboys (2003-2005). "You think of all the years of [New Orleans Saints quarterback] Drew Brees, you think of him as a passing guy, but they weren't when you played against them," Carroll said. "They always had a real good conscience about running the football. He's got a really good mix and utilizes his personnel in unique ways that fit their style and their makeup. "There's nothing about his game that isn't on point." For running back J.K. Dobbins, Payton's track record for winning was one of the reasons he signed with Denver in the offseason. Dobbins has had the opportunity to play for Payton and Harbaugh over the past two seasons and noticed a similarity among them and other greats. "You look back, look at my coaches, Urban Meyer [at Ohio State], [Ravens coach] John Harbaugh, Jim and now Coach Payton, I'm not afraid to get coached hard and those kinds of coaches are going to coach you hard," Dobbins said. "It's clear expectations are high and that you're going to get to them.'' THIS SEASON MARKS the third time in league history in which a division had at least one coach with a previous Super Bowl victory, per ESPN Research. This AFC West group of four coaches with at least one Super Bowl appearance is tied for the most in a single division in a season since 1999. In a five-team NFC West, Dan Reeves (Atlanta Falcons), George Seifert (Carolina Panthers), Dick Vermeil (St. Louis Rams) and Mike Ditka (New Orleans Saints) all had made the Super Bowl in their respective careers. The only coach in that division without a Super Bowl appearance that season was Steve Mariucci (San Francisco). "I've said, but I'm now the youngest [coach in the division], so thank you, Pete," Payton, 61, said. "Look, we've had so many good games and battles when [Carroll] was in Seattle. I think now without a doubt, you know your division opponent is going to be extremely well coached. "That is just the proof of what they've done in their careers with all three of those guys. You're not going to get a down day from somebody; everybody is going to be ready to challenge everything you do." Carroll, Payton and Harbaugh became coaches in the AFC West in the past three seasons with shared hopes to dethrone Reid and the Chiefs. Kansas City has won three Super Bowls and nine straight division titles under Reid. Reid took over the Chiefs in 2013 after they went 2-14 under former coach Romeo Crennel. Kansas City went 11-5 in Reid's first season and hasn't had a losing record since. The franchise has made five Super Bowl appearances since 2019, including last season, when the Chiefs lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX. Reid's 28 playoff wins are the second most all-time behind Bill Belichick. "We all get knocked around some during the process of it, but to sustain, I think it's [nine] years in a row they've won the division, I mean, that's remarkable, incredible consistency," Carroll said. "They've been doing it for the longest time, and it's sustained and it's beyond reproach. You can't even challenge anything that he's done. He's done great." A POWER SHIFT could very well happen this season. Denver has won six straight games and is tied with the Colts and Patriots for the best record in the NFL. The Chargers have won three of their past four games. Quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs), Justin Herbert (Chargers) and Bo Nix (Broncos) are playing at a high level, each ranking within the top 10 in the league in passing yards. Herbert is second in touchdown passes (18). Nix and Mahomes are tied for third with 17. The Raiders hoped that bringing in Carroll -- their fifth head coach since 2021 -- would at least give them a fair fight after they went 4-13 (0-6 in the AFC West) under former coach Antonio Pierce. Carroll is the only coach in NFL history to lead multiple franchises to a playoff win in his first season with a team. He did so in 1997 with the Patriots and 2010 with the Seahawks. The instant turnaround that Carroll anticipated going into the season hasn't materialized for Las Vegas. The Raiders have lost six of their past seven games, and are on the verge of finishing with a losing record for the seventh time in 10 seasons. They have lost eight straight games to AFC West opponents, dating to last season. In losses to the Chargers in Week 2 and the Chiefs in Week 7, the Raiders were outscored 51-9. They've had injuries to key players, most notably tight end Brock Bowers, who sat out three straight games because of a knee injury before returning in last week's loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. "My heart goes out to Pete," Reid said after Kansas City defeated Las Vegas 31-0. "Pete and I've been doing this for a long time. So, when you see him and he gets the team and has injuries, that's crushing for him. ... But he's a good football coach." The dynamic between Carroll and Geno Smith (1,701 yards, 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions) hasn't worked out as smoothly compared to the other coach-quarterback pairings in the division. The Raiders' struggles serve as a reminder of the growing pains that come with a rebuild despite a coach's pedigree. Reid and Harbaugh had success in their first season with their respective teams. Harbaugh led the Chargers to an 11-6 record and postseason appearance in 2024 after the team went 5-12 before he arrived. But Payton didn't have the cleanest start to his tenure with Denver. In 2023, the Broncos began 1-5, which featured a 70-20 loss to the Miami Dolphins. They managed to go on a five-game win streak but lost four of the last six and finished with an 8-9 record. Former quarterback Russell Wilson was benched and eventually released. The following season, Payton drafted Nix and ended the franchise's eight-year playoff drought. Carroll has embraced the challenge of rebuilding and instilling his culture within the Raiders' organization. But given the powers that be, it's difficult for Las Vegas to have the necessary patience for a rebuild and fight off the sense of urgency to stake a claim in the race to the top of the AFC West. "Going against Andy and Sean and Jimmy, it couldn't be any more challenging because these guys are terrific football coaches, and they're going to have a complete team," Carroll said. ESPN's Jeff Legwold contributed to this report
