Favre, Mayes Too Much for Raiders

Brett Favre, playing less than one quarter, completed 11 of 17 passes for 158 yards as the Green Bay Packers beat the Oakland Raiders, 37-24, in an exhibition game Friday night at Oakland.

Derrick Mayes had 12 receptions for 139 yards--including an acrobatic five-yard touchdown catch to go with another scoring catch--as the Super Bowl champion Packers (3-0) overwhelmed the Raiders (1-1).

After missing the Raiders’ exhibition opener because of a right hamstring strain, former Packer and Super Bowl MVP Desmond Howard made his Oakland debut with kickoff returns of 18 and 26 yards.

Raider quarterback Jeff George, making his first appearance in Oakland, completed two of seven passes for 63 yards.

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Pete Carroll got his first victory as coach of the New England Patriots as they beat the Dallas Cowboys, 16-10, at Foxboro, Mass.

Cowboy Coach Barry Switzer was greeted at Foxboro Stadium with chants of “Convict” and signs such as “Hey, Cowboys, check your guns at the gate. This means you, Barry.”

Switzer was arrested at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on Monday after security found a loaded .38-caliber handgun in his carry-on luggage.

On Wednesday, Cowboy owner Jerry Jones fined him $75,000--the largest fine ever imposed on an NFL coach--saying it brought “pain and embarrassment” to a team trying to repair its image.

On Thursday, Switzer was charged with a Class-A misdemeanor for carrying the handgun without a permit, which carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a $4,000 fine.

As for the game, the Cowboys had a chance to win as they drove to the New England 6 with 1:48 remaining but Jason Garrett’s fourth-down pass was overthrown. Running back Emmitt Smith did not play for the second consecutive game.

Patriot quarterback Drew Bledsoe played most of the first half and completed nine of 17 passes for 103 yards and a 5-yard touchdown to tight end Ben Coates. Adam Vinatieri made all three of his field-goal attempts.

The Patriots are 1-1, the Cowboys 0-2.

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Tony Banks completed 16 of 23 passes for 166 yards in the first half and the St. Louis Rams held the Arizona Cardinals’ starters without a first down in a 12-0 victory at St. Louis.

It was the Cardinals’ first game in St. Louis since owner Bill Bidwill took the team to Arizona in 1988.

The Rams (1-1) got four field goals from Jeff Wilkins, who has made all six of his attempts in exhibition play. Arizona (0-2) was outgained, 224-24, in the first half.

Ram backup defensive end James Harris, who earlier in the day pleaded innocent to a charge he was the money man in a cocaine conspiracy, played much of the second half.

Harris, 29, was allowed to remain free on $750,000 bond before a trial set for Sept. 22. If convicted, Harris could face a mandatory sentence of 10 years to life.

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Todd Collins, who has taken over for retired Jim Kelly as Buffalo’s starting quarterback, completed 10 of 12 passes for 115 yards and led a 98-yard touchdown drive as the Bills defeated the Minnesota Vikings, 19-3, at Orchard Park, N.Y.

The Bills are 1-2, the Vikings 2-1.

Buffalo defensive end Bruce Smith, who ended a three-week training camp holdout earlier this week, was not in uniform.

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Leon Johnson, a rookie running back from North Carolina, turned two short third-down passes from Neil O’Donnell into touchdowns as the New York Jets beat the Baltimore Ravens, 39-29.

The Jets (2-0) won their second exhibition in a row after only two victories in 24 previous games, including exhibitions.

O’Donnell completed 15 of 25 passes for 218 yards.

The Ravens (0-2) got two fourth-quarter touchdown passes from Eric Zeier.

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Erik Wilhelm, who appears destined to be the No. 3 quarterback for Cincinnati, threw two second-half touchdown passes to lead the Bengals to a 27-23 victory over the Detroit Lions at Pontiac, Mich.

Wilhelm completed five of seven passes for 82 yards. His six-yard touchdown pass play to Mike Jenkins gave the Bengals (1-1) their first lead, 27-20, with 14:56 left.

The Lions (1-1) had three turnovers and eight penalties for 69 yards.

The Lions also reached a contract agreement with cornerback Bryant Westbrook, their first-round draft pick.

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The San Diego Chargers signed former Oiler and Pro Bowl linebacker Al Smith.