One of the ongoing storylines fans of the Seattle Seahawks are going to be keeping an eye on this season will be related to the Las Vegas Raiders. Specifically, their quarterback and head coach… considering both men used to be in Seattle. Leading the charge for Vegas this year are Pete Carroll and his starting quarterback, Geno Smith, who was acquired in a trade with the Seahawks earlier this year.

It’s only natural to be curious to see where the path not taken might lead. Seattle had both men under their employ, and decided to walk away from them, deciding to go in the direction of Mike Macdonald and eventually Sam Darnold. This situation is nowhere near as juicy as what happened with Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos, but to deny interest in this story is to be dishonest with oneself.

Unfortunately, after one week, there may be plenty of 12’s second-guessing the Seahawks’ decisions, and wondering if the grass truly is greener in the desert. The Raiders went on the road to play the Patriots and took care of business in Foxboro with a 20-13 win. Geno Smith was lights out, completing 24-of-34 passes for 362 yards and a touchdown, along with a tipped interception. Smith must truly love playing at Gillette Stadium, as his stat line from Sunday was eerily similar to last season’s Week 2 game at New England where he had 327 yards and a touchdown on 33-of-44 passing and a 23-20 overtime win.

As for Pete Carroll, he must be making the ghost of Al Davis quite happy because all the man does is win, baby. Not only did Pete become the oldest man in league history to coach in – and win – an NFL game, he also became the first coach to ever win his debut game with four different franchises. Jets. Patriots. Seahawks. Raiders. 4-0.

Meanwhile, the picture was considerably less rosy for their Seattle successors in Week 1. With the Seahawks’ loss, Mike Macdonald is now 3-7 at Lumen Field. Sam Darnold was 16-of-23 for 150 yards, but still had no more than 99 yards until there was less than two minutes left in the game. Darnold accounted for no touchdowns, but did have the game-losing fumble in the waning seconds.

This is a storyline that will last throughout the season, and there’s plenty left to be written. But the first chapter is not one the 12th Man will want to re-read.

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This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Geno Smith excels vs Patriots, Pete Carroll wins in Raiders debut
Reporting by Kole Musgrove, Seahawks Wire / Seahawks Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect