Houston ? The Houston Texans won more than their opener. They won their Super Bowl.

Rookie quarterback David Carr came out heaving, throwing a touchdown for his first completion. He also hit Corey Bradford for a 65-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter to beat the state rival Dallas Cowboys 19-10 on Sunday in the first game in franchise history.

Houston quarterback David Carr celebrates the expansion team's 19-10 win over Dallas. On Sunday in Houston, the Texans became just the second expansion team to wins its opener.

“I wouldn’t say we ambushed them,” Houston nose guard Seth Payne said, “but I don’t think they expected what they got.”

The Texans became only the second expansion team to start 1-0, reaching a goal coach Dom Capers mentioned this week. They joined the Minnesota Vikings, who did it in 1961 against the Chicago Bears in a battle of division rivals.

This one, though, was for bragging rights in a state where football is king.

NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue called the game “the Texas Super Bowl,” and it felt that way to the 69,604 fans who’d been waiting since the Oilers left for Tennessee after the 1996 season. They started arriving 4 1/2 hours early, many with their faces painted and carrying anti-Dallas signs.

Carr spoke for all of them on draft day when he said he wanted “to beat up on the Cowboys more than anyone else.” Owner Bob McNair, who got the expansion rights for $700 million in October 1999, made it clear he wanted to open against his northern neighbors.

There wasn’t much of a rivalry in the Oilers-Cowboys days they met only eight times in 37 years but enmity built during the NFL’s five-year hiatus in Houston. The sentiment wasn’t shared in Dallas, but might be when the teams meet again at Texas Stadium in 2006.

“For this team to get this game is wonderful for the city and the state,” Texans general manager Charley Casserly said.

For the Cowboys, it was downright embarrassing. Emmitt Smith even said so.

“We did nothing good,” said Smith, who ran for 67 yards, cutting his margin to catch Walter Payton for the career rushing record to 473 yards. “We have a long way to go and a short time to get there.”

Said Cowboys owner Jerry Jones: “I’m disappointed for Cowboys fans everywhere.”

Playing with the roof of their $449 million stadium closed because of threatening clouds, Houston got the decibel level going when Carr took the first snap in franchise history and threw deep for Bradford.

“We wanted to come out and set a tone,” Capers said.

Dallas cornerback Bryant Westbrook was flagged for pass interference on the play, moving Houston 43 yards to the Cowboys 21. Three plays later, Carr hit tight end Billy Miller over the middle at the 6 and he dived in for the first touchdown just 1:14 in.

Penalties plagued Dallas all night, making the Cowboys look like the expansion team. Through three quarters, they had been penalized eight times for 112 yards, while the Texans gained only 106.

Dallas’ first seven possessions ended in six punts and an interception, which led to a 42-yard field goal by Kris Brown that put Houston up 10-0 early in the second quarter. Second-year quarterback Quincy Carter didn’t complete a pass until the second quarter.

The Cowboys tied it at 10 in the third quarter when Michael Wiley had a 46-yard touchdown run. Billy Cundiff kicked a 33-yard field goal with 56 seconds left in the second quarter. He later missed a 42-yarder.

The Texans were happy to be playing so well so late against a franchise that’s won five Super Bowls. But instead of playing it safe, they went for the win.

On the first drive of the fourth quarter, Carr threw deep to Bradford, who reached behind his body in the air and hauled it in. He cut from the right side of the field to the middle to avoid pursuers, then stopped when he reached the goal post and stared at the fans with his hands on his hips. The former Green Bay Packer then jumped into the stands, Lambeau Leap-style, while Carr came running to the end zone to join the celebration.

Broncos 23, Rams 16

Denver The Denver Broncos were a field goal away from replacing Brian Griese with Steve Beuerlein in the fourth quarter.

It’s a good thing for the Broncos that St. Louis kicker Jeff Wilkins missed.

Griese threw for 202 yards and two touchdowns and led Denver on a 71-yard drive for the deciding score as the Broncos beat the Rams.

Jets 37, Bills 31, OT

Orchard Park, N.Y. Chad Morton ran back two kickoffs, including a 96-yarder to start overtime, lifting New York over Buffalo.

Morton is just the second player in NFL history to return an overtime kickoff for a touchdown. On Nov. 27, 1980, Chicago’s Dave Williams took the opening OT kickoff for a score, leading the Bears past the Detroit Lions 23-17.

Morton, the first player in NFL history to return a kickoff for a score in regulation and overtime, also became the first Jets player and fifth player ever to return two kickoffs for scores. New Orleans’ Tyrone Hughes was the last player to run back two kickoffs for scores, accomplishing the feat in 1994.

Morton’s big plays spoiled the debut of Bills quarterback Drew Bledsoe, who finished 24-of-30 for 210 yards.

Packers 37,

Falcons 34, OT

Green Bay, Wis. Ryan Longwell’s 34-yard field goal with 5:15 left in overtime gave Green Bay a victory over Atlanta.

Atlanta’s Jay Feely sent it into overtime with a 52-yard field goal with five seconds left in regulation. That capped a six-play, 35-yard drive that followed William Henderson’s dive into the end zone on fourth-and-inches with 1:10 left that had given Green Bay a 34-31 lead.

Redskins 31, Cardinals 23

Landover, Md. Steve Spurrier had no chance to run up the score in his NFL coaching debut. The way his defense and special teams played, he needed all the points he could get.

Shane Matthews threw three touchdown passes, and Stephen Davis had 150 total yards as the Washington Redskins held off the Arizona Cardinals 31-23 on Sunday.

Panthers 10, Ravens 7

Charlotte, N.C. A day short of the first anniversary of their last victory, the Carolina Panthers finally clawed their way back into the win column in John Fox’s coaching debut.

John Kasay, the only original Panther on the roster, kicked a 27-yard field goal, and Wesley Walls, a member of Carolina’s 1996 team that went to the NFC championship game, caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Rodney Peete as all the scoring came in the first half.

Dolphins 49, Lions 21

Miami Ricky Williams rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns in his Miami debut, Jay Fiedler threw three touchdown passes and the Dolphins won their opener for the 11th year in a row.

Williams carried 20 times, scored on runs of 1 and 2 yards and set up another touchdown with a 37-yard run, the second-longest of his career.

Chargers 34, Bengals 6

Cincinnati Drew Brees threw two touchdown passes, led a 95-yard drive, blocked downfield on a reverse and bowled over a Cincinnati tackler during a scramble, leading San Diego to a win in his first NFL start.

The record-setting passer from Purdue completed 15 of 19 passes for 160 yards and made gritty plays on a 90-degree afternoon.

LaDainian Tomlinson had 114 yards on 21 carries, and one of the NFL’s toughest run defenses of the last few years clamped down on Corey Dillon, who got only 10 yards on nine carries.

Colts 28, Jaguars 25

Jacksonville, Fla. Peyton Manning threw for three scores two to Qadry Ismail and one to Marvin Harrison to lift Indianapolis over Jacksonville, its new division rival.

Manning went 19-of-31 for 211 yards, and Edgerrin James rushed for 99 yards on 26 carries in his first appearance since a knee injury last October.

Trailing 28-17, Mark Brunell led the Jaguars on a 75-yard touchdown drive, and a 2-point conversion pulled them within three with 4:11 left.

Titans 27, Eagles 24

Nashville, Tenn. Steve McNair threw for a touchdown and Eddie George scored on a 2-yard run with 3:09 remaining as Tennessee rallied to beat Philadelphia.

The defending NFC East champions had two chances in the final 3:03, but the Eagles went three-and-out on their first possession. On the Eagles’ last possession, rookie Carlos Hall sacked Donovan McNabb for the third time, knocking the ball loose and Titans end Kevin Carter recovered with 1:12 to go.

Bears 27, Vikings 23

Champaign, Ill. Jim Miller hit David Terrell on a 9-yard touchdown pass with 28 seconds left as Chicago scored twice in the final 6:13 and stunned Minnesota in Mike Tice’s debut as the Vikings head coach.

The Bears trailed by 10 early in the final period. After Miller hooked up with Marty Booker on a 54-yard pass to set up Anthony Thomas’ 1-yard TD run, Chicago trailed by just three with 6:13 to go.

Saints 26, Bucs 20, OT

Tampa, Fla. A botched pass in the end zone by Tampa Bay punter Tom Tupa landed in the wrong hands and gave New Orleans a victory.

Tupa, trying to avoid being tackled for a safety, tossed a weak, left-handed pass directly to James Allen in the middle of the end zone with 2:50 remaining in overtime.

Raiders 31, Seahawks 17

Oakland, Calif. Rich Gannon completed 19 of 28 passes for 214 yards and two touchdowns while Charlie Garner amassed 187 total yards and scored two touchdowns in the Raiders win over the Seahawks, giving coach Bill Callahan a win in his debut.