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 "Coach challenged us this week that we have to run the football,"
Arizona running back Andre Ellington said.
The Cardinals did exactly that, taking the pressure off Palmer and
pounding their way to a 24-13 victory at the O.co Coliseum.
Ellington carried 24 times for 88 yards, running back Stepfan Taylor
gained 40 yards on 12 carries, and the Cardinals rushed for 123
yards, 1 yard off their season high. Ellington added six catches for
72 yards, giving him 160 total yards, while Taylor scored on a
4-yard run and a 2-yard catch.
Palmer chipped in with 253 passing yards and two touchdowns,
completing 22 of 31 passes while posting a 103.3 passer rating. He
threw one interception.
"Offensive line and tight ends and wide receivers all blocked
extremely well," Arians said. "And we left some out there. We were
close on a couple others that were house calls and ended up being
zero. It gave me confidence to continue to stay with (the run). And
it didn't put the pressure on Carson to go win this game.
"There's always a lot of energy and pent-up emotion when you come
back and play against somebody. I didn't want that to happen to him,
to have to go out here and win this ballgame."
The Cardinals (5-1) remain atop the NFC West, ahead of the San
Francisco 49ers (4-3) and the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle
Seahawks (3-3).
"It's huge," Cardinals left tackle Jared Veldheer, another former
Raider, said of the victory. "Every Sunday it gets bigger and
bigger. It's nothing but a good start, and we need to keep the
mindset of we've got to win every week and see where the chips
fall."
The Raiders (0-6) are the NFL's lone remaining winless team. They
lost for the second straight time under interim coach Tony Sparano,
who replaced the fired Dennis Allen.
"This is as bad as you're going to get through the first part of the
season," Raiders free safety Charles Woodson said. "We haven't won a
game. How much worse can it get than that, than not winning a game?
We're all men with pride, and you've got to be prideful of your
craft, about your job. You've got to come to work regardless of the
record."
Raiders rookie quarterback Derek Carr completed 16 of 28 passes for
173 yards and a 75.4 passer rating. Running back Darren McFadden
carried 14 times for 48 yards and the Raiders' lone touchdown.
Oakland cut Arizona's lead to 14-13 on Sebastian Janikowski's
53-yard field goal with 7:17 left in the third quarter.
Arizona responded with an 80-yard scoring drive, extending the lead
to 21-12 on Taylor's 4-yard touchdown run with 2:55 remaining in the
third. Ellington carried six times for 38 yards and caught a 16-yard
pass on the eight-play drive, despite playing with sore ribs after
taking a first-half hit.
"We were able to march the ball down the field, chew the clock, give
our defense the opportunity to get some rest," said Ellington, who
at halftime had X-rays that were negative. "We came away with points
at the end of the drive."
Arizona's Chandler Catanzaro kicked a 41-yard field goal with 29
seconds left in the game, capping a 12-play, 50-yard drive and
sealing the victory.
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"He had a nice game, and I don't think he's 100 percent," Palmer
said of Ellington, slowed recently by a lingering foot injury. "He's
out there gutting it out, and you can tell he doesn't have that
explosion back, but that'll come. But he looks great, and he had
some nice plays in the pass game. We had some situations where we
got them one-on-one."
The Raiders never reached the red zone in the second half, but Carr
remained confident that Oakland will turn its season around.
"I've been through losing seasons," Carr said. "I've been through
losing a coach my sophomore year in college (at Fresno State) when I
was a starter. I've been through hard times. Good times are coming.
They're coming. I know it. I've been through this."
After spotting Arizona a 14-0 lead, the Raiders rallied to score
next 10 points and trailed 14-10 at halftime.
Palmer capped an 11-play, 88-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass
to Taylor, giving the Cardinals a 7-0 lead with 1:47 left in the
first quarter.
The Cardinals increased their lead to 14-0 when Palmer hit wide
receiver Michael Floyd with a 33-yard touchdown pass with 5:37 left
in the first half. Floyd, lined up wide left, beat cornerback Tarell
Brown's tight man-to-man coverage, catching the pass at the 3 and
sprinting into the end zone.
"There's a couple different options with where you can go with the
ball and Mike made a phenomenal play," Palmer said. "Ripped right
through the guy and moved up field. I just wanted to leave it in
bounds and Mike fought through."
The Raiders answered with a 79-yard, eight-play touchdown drive
highlighted by Carr's 55-yard pass to wide receiver Brice Butler.
Carr's deep strike gave the Raiders a first-and-goal from the 3, and
McFadden scored on a 1-yard plunge on third down.
The Raiders cut Arizona's lead to 14-10 on Janikowski's 29-yard
field goal with 45 seconds left in the half. Woodson set up
Janikowski's field goal when he intercepted a Palmer pass and
returned 30 yards to the Arizona 13.
NOTES: Raiders S Usama Young left the game midway through the third
quarter with a left knee injury. He did not return. ... Raiders RT
Khalif Barnes (quadriceps) was inactive, and Menelik Watson started
in his place for the second consecutive game. ... Raiders starting
FB Marcel Reece (quadriceps) was inactive, snapping his streak of 46
straight games played. Backup FB Jamize Olawale made his first start
of the season, and he made one catch for 7 yards. ... Raiders
starting DE Justin Tuck (knee) was inactive. C.J. Wilson started in
his place. ... Cardinals DE Calais Campbell (knee) was inactive, and
Kareem Martin started in his place.
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