FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Some of the defining moments of Pete Carroll’s 18 years as an NFL coach have ties to the New England Patriots.

He won his first playoff game during his first season as the Patriots’ coach in 1997. And he was fired by the Patriots following the 1999 season, beginning a 10-year hiatus from the league.

Then, after a successful return to the NFL that included a 2014 Super Bowl win with Seattle, his Seahawks came up short in the championship game the following season when New England’s Malcolm Butler intercepted Russell Wilson’s pass at the goal line.

Carroll, who is about to begin his first season as the Las Vegas Raiders’ coach, was asked this week about whether it still meant something to play against the Patriots.

“Yeah, it does,” he said.

Sunday’s matchup re

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