MEXICO CITY — Quincy Carter is already getting philosophical about life in the NFL.
"One thing about this game is that you can have a good game one day and a bad game the next. You just want to keep going out on the field and getting better," the Cowboys rookie quarterback said after leading a 21-6 victory Monday night over the Oakland Raiders.
Carter was 6-of-11 passing, with 99 yards and no interceptions, and had an impressive 16-yard touchdown run.
He showed more poise this time compared to his 5-of-17, 27-yard game against New Orleans on Aug. 19, and it gave the Cowboys their first win of the preseason after three losses.
The Cowboys snapped their nine-game preseason losing streak. Dallas had dropped 17 of 18 preseason games.
"We really needed a win," said coach Dave Campo, who heaped more praise and pressure on his young quarterback.
"I think Quincy Carter made some things happen out there, and whether he can keep doing so will help decide the future of this team."
If the Cowboys looked unexpectedly sharp, the Raiders, with Super Bowl hopes, looked ragged, repeatedly blowing scoring chances.
"We need to work on a lot of things," coach Jon Gruden said.
"Catching punts is one thing," he added, alluding to one of the evening's odder moments: Cowboys punter Micah Knorr recovered a Raiders fumble of his fourth-quarter kick.
"When we get a chance to make a play, we've got to make that play," Gruden said. "To walk away from two premier scoring opportunities with three points is disappointing."
First-team quarterback Rich Gannon did not play, and top receivers Jerry Rice and Tim Brown left after the first quarter.
Despite threatening skies and a light rain that stopped just at game time, a crowd of 88,309 turned out at Azteca stadium for what is becoming a near yearly preseason ritual.
Most fans backed the Raiders and chanted "DEE-FENSE" as the Cowboys started their first possession.
Backup quarterback Bobby Hoying moved the Raiders, but couldn't reach the end zone.
Hoying, who was 16-of-21 for 136 yards, completed seven straight passes in the first quarter on a 71-yard drive that stalled at the Cowboys 9 with a penalty and a field goal.
"They moved the ball, but we were able to keep them out of the end zone," Campo said. "After that, we began to control the line of scrimmage, which helped shut down their running game."
On the Raiders' next possession, safety George Teague picked off a Hoying's pass at the 35 and returned it eight yards.
Four plays later, Carter faked a handoff, then scrambled left, dodging tacklers on his touchdown run.
Dimitrius Underwood ended Oakland's next drive by sacking Hoying at the 32.
Carter then drove the Cowboys 80 yards in four minutes, passing 25 yards to Damon Hodge and then, under heavy pressure, hitting Jason Tucker at the Raiders 4 for a 28-yard gain.
Troy Hambrick, who led Dallas rushers with 43 yards on 9 carries, scored on the next play.
Cowboys backup quarterback Anthony Wright also scored on a run, charging off left tackle for 4 yards in the third quarter to end a drive that featured a 40-yard pass to Reggie Swinton.
Wright was 4-of-6 passing for 75 yards. Backup Marques Tuiasosopo again looked sharp, going 13-of-19 for 132 yards.
With 34 seconds left in the first half, Hoying fired a 24-yard pass to Marcus Knight in the end zone. Knight bounced up celebrating, but officials ruled he lost the ball due to safety Sean Key's hit — not the turf.
Kicker Sebastian Janikowski then missed a 39-yard field goal.