Until now.

For the first time since 2002, the Cardinals came into Qwest on Sunday and slew their demons - as well as the Seahawks - with a 26-20 victory that was only close because of some untimely late turnovers.

For a 7-3 team that now owns a four-game lead in the division over San Francisco and a five-game edge over the sinking Seahawks with six weeks remaining, Sunday's victory felt like a throat-clearing cough.

Now the Cardinals can breathe easier, knowing the four-time defending division champs no longer own them at home.

"To be a champion, you've got to knock the champion off," said Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. "I think we did a good job coming in here getting a victory in a very tough place. They had a lot of adrenaline going. Matt (Hasselbeck) was back, so they had a lot of things going for them."

But Arizona left little doubt of its superiority in firepower by outgaining Seattle 458-196 in total yardage and then surviving the Seahawks' fourth-quarter comeback after a pair of short touchdown drives following Cardinals fumbles.

"Obviously this is a very big win for us," said second-year Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt. "This has always been a tough place for the Cardinals to play. Their crowd was very loud, especially there at the end. It was great to see us be able to finish a game off and make some plays to win it."

Arizona hasn't been to the playoffs since 1998 when the Cardinals earned a wild-card berth with a 9-7 record when playing in the NFC East with Jake Plummer at quarterback. They haven't won a division title since 1975 when competing as the St. Louis Cardinals with quarterback Jim Hart and running back Terry Metcalf.

"For us, it's been a long time coming," receiver Anquan Boldin said after leading Sunday's assault with 13 catches for 186 yards. "Every time we came up here, we couldn't get the job done. But it's a different story today."

Quarterback Kurt Warner acknowledged that he's struggled at Qwest in the past and took some satisfaction in turning things around in such a hostile environment. But the veteran also sounded a cautionary note, knowing Arizona faces the Giants, Eagles and Patriots as well as the Seahawks again in Phoenix on Dec. 28 before this one is over.

"It's a good start for us," Warner said. "We still have a long way to go, but we took one step closer today."

The Qwest crowd couldn't rattle Warner early as he completed 22 of 27 passes for 251 yards in the first half. But as Seattle's defense made a few plays in the second half, the roars intensified and Arizona needed to steady itself down the stretch.

The ability to survive that heat seemed as important to the Cardinals as the victory itself. Fitzgerald called Qwest "the loudest place you can play" and said Warner frequently used silent counts to combat the noise.

"I've been on the wrong end of a lot of games like this," Fitzgerald said. "To be able to pull this one out down the stretch, it means a lot. Especially here. I've never won here before and I've only even been close to winning here one time, so it feels really good."