OAKLAND, Calif. — Coach Bruce Arians had a clear message for his Arizona offense as the team prepared for Sunday’s game against the Oakland Raiders, which happened to mark Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer’s first game against his former team.

“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 (4-2 entering their Sunday night game) 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.

“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.”

What the Cardinals said:

“I didn’t feel a chip on my shoulder. I’ve been in this business a long time, and I understand the business side of it. Unfortunately, they went in a different direction, and you just have to roll with the punches and find a new place to go. No chip whatsoever.” — Quarterback Carson Palmer, on playing the Raiders for the first time since they traded him to Arizona after the 2012 season.

What the Raiders said:

“Losers are going to put their heads down. Losers are going to tuck their tails and pretty much say, ‘I’m done with the season.’ But winners are going to keep fighting, and that’s all you can do. I can only speak for myself. I know personally, I’m not lying down, I’m not giving up. I’m just going to continue to fight. We just need that feeling of winning. We have that feeling of playing better and playing hard, but that feeling of winning, finishing a game from start to finish, we’ll see how it goes.” — cornerback Carlos Rogers.

What we learned about the Cardinals

1. The Cardinals can go home again — to Oakland. Quarterback Carson Palmer, left tackle Jared Veldheer and defensive tackle Tommy Kelly, a trio of former Raiders, faced their former team for the first time Sunday and came away with a 24-13 victory. “It was crazy,” Veldheer said. “Just like waking up and getting on the bus this morning. It was a ton of nostalgia, more than I even thought would hit me being back. Coming out pregame, running around back on the field, being back in the Coliseum and all the familiar things coming back from the last four years. It’s a lot of emotion. I knew going in it was going to be a special game.”

2. Despite improving to 5-1 and remaining atop the NFC West, the Cardinals won’t get overconfident. “I think we have a group of guys that find ways to win,” Arizona coach Bruce Arians said. “We’re not special, but we have a bunch of guys that are going to play hard for 60 minutes. We know we’re not special. The one thing we talked about all week was you never underestimate an opponent. You darn sure don’t overestimate yourself. We haven’t done anything yet except get to 5-1. There’s a lot of football left with a big game coming home against Philadelphia this week.”

–RB Andre Ellington had 160 total yards Sunday in Arizona’s 24-13 victory over Oakland. Ellington carried 24 times for 88 yards and caught six passes for 72 yards. He took a hit to his ribs in the first half, but X-rays at halftime were negative.

–QB Carson Palmer threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns Sunday in his first game against the Oakland Raiders since they traded him to Arizona after the 2012 season. Palmer completed 22 of 31 passes, was intercepted once and posted a 103.3 passer rating in the Cardinals’ 24-13 victory.

–ILB Larry Foote had a team-high four tackles and his first sack of the season Sunday in Arizona’s 24-13 victory against Oakland. Foote recorded the Cardinals’ only sack of the game.

What we learned about the Raiders

1. Rookie outside linebacker Khalil Mack, despite not having a sack this season, was worth the fifth overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft. Mack had a team-high 11 tackles Sunday against Arizona, including three tackles for loss. “(Mack) is a phenomenal player,” Arizona quarterback Carson Palmer said. “Great pass-rusher, but he’s really good in the run game.”

2. Oakland holds the inside track on the No. 1 choice in the 2015 draft. Thanks to the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 24-6 victory over the Cleveland Browns, the 0-6 Raiders are the NFL’s lone remaining winless team. The Raiders have a killer schedule remaining with two games against both the Denver Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs and one each against the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks and San Diego Chargers. Their best chance to win could come Sunday at Cleveland. The Raiders also play the Buffalo Bills at home and the St. Louis Rams on the road. The Raiders have played with effort and intensity the past two games under interim coach Tony Sparano, but there is no guarantee they can maintain that approach without a victory soon.

–SS Usama Young injured his left knee midway through the third quarter Sunday in Oakland’s 24-13 loss to Arizona. Young was helped off the field and did not return. “Don’t have a final update right now,” Raiders interim coach Tony Sparano said. “We’re still getting some information from the doctors. Probably not a good situation.”

–FS Charles Woodson recorded his 58th career interception Sunday against Arizona. Woodson is the NFL’s active leader in interceptions, and he moved into a tie for 11th on the all-time list with Emmitt Thomas. Woodson has 20 interceptions as a Raider, the 11th most in franchise history. Late in the second quarter Sunday, Woodson picked off a pass from QB Carson Palmer and returned it 30 yards to the Cardinals’ 13, setting up a field goal.

–RB Darren McFadden rushed for his 25th career touchdown Sunday, a 1-yard plunge in the second quarter against Arizona. He moved ahead of Charlie Smith and into sole possession of eighth place on the franchise’s all-time list. McFadden carried 14 times for 48 yards.