Bill Bidwill has finally realized his desert dream.

Nineteen years after he moved his team from St. Louis to Arizona, he finally got a stadium of his own that was filled last week with Cardinals fans. Now, coming off a home win his team goes to Seattle on Sunday to play for first place in the NFC West.

OK, so it's only the second week of the season and the Cardinals remain one of the least successful franchises in NFL history -- a winner of one playoff game in the last 60 seasons.

But coach Dennis Green even sounds like a winner, complaining about how poorly the Cardinals played in last week's 34-27 win over San Francisco. Until this year, the team would take any win and savor it.

"It's very good to win when you don't play well, because we're having a conversation right now that you normally don't talk about: 'How did you win the gamefi' " Green says. "Normally, you explain how you lost the game. There's a big difference."

Contrast that with Seattle, last season's NFC champion.

The Seahawks didn't play well either, winning 9-6 in Detroit against a team that since 2001 is an NFL worst 21-60.

But coach Mike Holmgren was smiling after the game because he recognizes a win is a win. The next day, the Seahawks traded with New England for wide receiver Deion Branch, the MVP of the 2005 Super Bowl, to add firepower that will surely help in the long term.

Still, Holmgren was displeased with the play of his offensive line, which lost guard Steve Hutchinson to Minnesota in free agency. Shaun Alexander, who led the league in rushing last season and was the NFL's MVP, had just 51 yards on 19 carries.

"We have a lot of pride. I believe they got the message," Holmgren said of his blockers. "We'll play better next week."

They probably will. They'll probably win.

But at least Bill Bidwill's dream will be realized for a week.

In other games Sunday, Buffalo is at Miami; Detroit at Chicago; Houston at Indianapolis; Carolina at Minnesota; Oakland at Baltimore; Tampa Bay at Atlanta; New Orleans at Green Bay; Cleveland at Cincinnati; the New York Giants at Philadelphia; St. Louis at San Francisco; New England at the New York Jets; Tennessee at San Diego; Kansas City at Denver; and Washington at Dallas.

Pittsburgh is at Jacksonville on Monday night.

Pittsburgh (1-0)at Jacksonville (1-0)

MONDAY NIGHT

Ben Roethlisberger underwent an appendectomy on Sept. 3 and his status won't be known until close to gametime. But Charlie Batch did well enough at quarterback in the 28-17 win over Miami on opening night, so coach Bill Cowher won't be too worried if he has to start.

Jacksonville, which had an intense division rivalry with the Steelers in the old AFC Central, did a good job pressuring Drew Bledsoe into three interceptions in its 24-17 win over Dallas as young receivers Matt Jones and Reggie Williams played well. The Jaguars beat the Steelers 23-17 in Pittsburgh last season, winning in overtime when Rashean Mathis returned an interception off Tommy Maddox, subbing for an injured Roethlisberger.

Washington (0-1)at Dallas (0-1)

Regardless of the records, the Redskins and Cowboys almost always play a prime-time nationally televised game, and this is the Sunday night contest. Of note: if the Cowboys lose, Bill Parcells' record in Dallas will fall to 25-26.

More to the point is the matchup between two quarterbacks on the downside of their careers.

Mark Brunell wasn't good enough to lead the Redskins to more than 16 points in their three-point home loss to Minnesota last Monday night. Drew Bledsoe threw three interceptions in Jacksonville and Tony Romo has become more than a whisper in the Southwest.

New York Giants (0-1)at Philadelphia (1-0)

Can a team play a desperation game in Week 2fi The Giants might be playing one after losing 26-21 to the Colts in the Manning Bowl last week despite 186 yards rushing; they go to Seattle next week.

Off the first week, these two look like the best teams in the NFC East. With a few breaks (and better officiating), the Giants could have beaten the Colts. The Eagles made last season's 6-10 mark look like a one-year aberration in a 24-10 win in Houston. Donovan McNabb is healthy and newly acquired Donte' Stallworth gives them the field-stretching receiver they need.

Carolina (0-1)at Minnesota (1-0)

The records were supposed to be reversed after Week 1. The Panthers, one of the favorites to win the NFC, not only were run over by Atlanta (252 yards rushing) but lost left tackle Travelle Wharton for the season. Steve Smith's hamstring problems make him a question mark for this game.

The Vikings got a very professional performance from 38-year-old QB Brad Johnson and new RB Chester Taylor and beat Washington 19-16. That left dancing Dan Snyder and Tom Cruise (who spent more time on camera than the Vikings) to wonder what happened to a team whose fans seemed to think was Super Bowl ready.

Tampa Bay (0-1)at Atlanta (1-0)

The Bucs are another team that really needs a win after getting shut out 27-0 at home by Baltimore. Chris Simms, touted as one of the NFL's rising young QBs, was sacked twice and intercepted three times. This could be a crucial September game for them.

The Falcons ran all over Carolina on the road, avenging two losses by a combined 68-17 last season. Their problems: injuries to defensive ends Patrick Kerney and John Abraham, who had two sacks in his first regular-season game with Atlanta.

Oakland (0-1)at Baltimore (1-0)

Bad omen for the Raiders: the last time they were shut out in their opener, they lost 44-0 the second week. OK, it was 45 years ago, two years before Al Davis arrived. But these Raiders might not be much better than those Raiders.

Interesting what one player can do for a club. Steve McNair not only gives the Ravens the quarterback they've never had, but seems to have re-energized the defense. Still, McNair and Ray Lewis, both of whom have been hurt a lot, have to stay healthy for Baltimore to realize any lofty ambitions.

Kansas City (0-1)at Denver (0-1)

Trent Green, who has a serious concussion, will miss at least two or three games, the third straight season Herman Edwards' QB has been hurt (see Chad Pennington and Jay Fiedler). So Damon Huard will start for the foreseeable future behind an offensive line that has become shaky with the retirement of Willie Roaf.

It probably doesn't help the Chiefs that Denver lost 18-10 at St. Louis and will be energized before the home fans. Jake Plummer threw three interceptions against the Rams and another performance like that will start a talk radio/Internet groundswell for young Jay Cutler.

Buffalo (0-1)at Miami (0-1)

The Marv Levy/Dick Jauron Bills looked a lot more intense than last year's side in scaring New England, especially with LB Takeo Spikes back from injury to inspire the defense.

But the Dolphins also gave a good account of themselves in Pittsburgh, even with Daunte Culpepper looking a bit rusty in his Miami debut. Beyond that, they are usually close to invincible at home in Florida's September heat.

Detroit (0-1)at Chicago (1-0)

The Lions drafted wide receivers No. 1 for three straight years and all three are problems: Charles Rogers was cut, Mike Williams inactive last week, and Roy Williams is too mouthy. Roy, who plays for a team that's 21-60 since 2001, did "guarantee" a win on the road against what should be the NFC North's best team.

The Bears' 26-0 win in Green Bay didn't provide much of a read -- the Packers are probably the NFL's worst team this season. But at least QB Rex Grossman stayed healthy for a week.

New England (1-0)at New York Jets (1-0)

Bloodlines and bad blood. Bill Belichick is coaching against his young protege, Eric Mangini, who won his first game 23-16 in Tennessee. The Belichick-Mangini relationship didn't stop the Patriots from filing a tampering charge against the Jets in the Deion Branch trade negotiations. Just part of a long history that involves Bill Parcells, Curtis Martin and Belichick himself, who went from one team to the other under contentious circumstances.

Good news for New York: Chad Pennington was back in form after two years of shoulder problems, throwing for 319 yards and two TDs in Tennessee. Rookie Laurence Maroney had 86 yards on 17 carries in his debut for the Patriots.

Houston (0-1)at Indianapolis (1-0)

The Colts survived the Manning Bowl, although they didn't run well and allowed the Giants 186 yards rushing. Normally, this would be a spot for a letdown, but aside from a nice opening drive, the new Houstons looked like the old Houstons in a 24-10 loss to the Eagles.

Worst stat for Houston: five sacks allowed, raising to 213 the number of times David Carr has gone down in a career that now spans four years and one game.

Tennessee (0-1)at San Diego (1-0)

Philip Rivers did well at what he had to do against Oakland, which wasn't much -- the San Diego defense dominated and LaDainian Tomlinson ran for 131 yards in the 27-0 shutout of the Raiders.

Kerry Collins starts again at quarterback for the Titans, which isn't good. He's a stationary target and the Chargers had nine sacks against the Raiders. Vince Young may be playing early in this one.

Cleveland (0-1)at Cincinnati (1-0)

Carson Palmer is playing as though his knee injury is ancient history. And the Cincinnati defense played well in Kansas City, albeit against a team that lost its QB early and has an offensive line with problems.

The best news for the Browns last week in their loss to New Orleans was eight receptions by Kellen Winslow, who until then had caught just five passes in two games two years ago.

New Orleans (1-0)at Green Bay (0-1)

People gave Reggie Bush mixed reviews after the Saints beat the Browns. Strange, because it was his first game and he ended up with 119 yards from scrimmage. Who does betterfi Tomlinson, Barber, Faulk, not many other guys.

The best news for Brett Favre is that the New Orleans defense is nowhere near the quality of Chicago's, which means he might have a little time to pass. Or even put up a few points -- the Packers won this game 52-3 last season.

St. Louis (1-0)at San Francisco (0-1)

Six field goals and no touchdowns got the Rams an upset win over Denver, one that Mike Martz probably would've thrown back. No problem for Scott Linehan.

Best news for the 49ers from their loss to Arizona: Alex Smith showed marked improvement from last season with 288 yards passing, his most ever for one game, and a TD pass, which equaled his total for his entire rookie season.

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page C6.