Chiefs-Ravens, Bjt
By DAVID GINSBURG
AP Sports Writer
BALTIMORE (AP) _ Winless no more, the Kansas City Chiefs rendered the
Baltimore Ravens defenseless with an almost unimaginable display of ball
control and patience.
Priest Holmes ran for 133 yards and two touchdowns, and the Chiefs wore down
the highly touted Baltimore defense in a 27-24 victory Monday night. Trent Green went 21-for-31 for 223 yards to help Kansas City (1-3) to its
first win since Dec. 28. After going 13-3 a year ago, the Chiefs were off to
their worst start since 1980.
Through three quarters, Kansas City had 22 first downs compared to four for
the Ravens and a 361-126 advantage in yardage. A 1-yard touchdown run by Holmes
on the first play of the fourth quarter put the Chiefs up 27-17, and that
proved to be enough to end the Ravens' seven-game home winning streak.
Holmes, who played for Baltimore from 1997-2000, became the first player to
run for 100 yards against the Ravens in 10 games. He carried 33 times, 22 in
the first half.
Baltimore's last loss at home was last year to the Chiefs by a 17-10 score.
On Monday night, Kansas City had 17 points by halftime.
After Baltimore (2-2) closed to 27-24 on a 1-yard touchdown run by Jamal
Lewis with 9:14 to go, the Chiefs methodically moved downfield in seven plays
before a punt left the Ravens at their own 14 with 5:50 left.
Baltimore went nowhere, but got the ball back on its own 27 with 2:33
remaining. The Ravens advanced to their own 40 before a fourth-down pass
slipped off the fingers of wide receiver Kevin Johnson.
Lewis, the NFL rushing leader a year ago, was held to 73 yards on 15
carries. Kyle Boller went 10-for-17 for 154 yards.
Rookie B.J. Sams returned a punt 58 yards for a touchdown and Boller threw a
57-yard touchdown pass on a flea-flicker, but the Ravens never took back the
lead after going up 3-0.
Kansas City took a 20-17 lead on a 38-yard field goal by Lawrence Tynes with
8:19 left in the third quarter. Green extended the 11-play drive by avoiding a
sure sack on third-and-10 and completing a 16-yard pass to Chris Horn.
The Ravens then ran four plays before punting, and the Chiefs responded with
a workmanlike 13-play drive that resulted in Holmes' sixth touchdown of the
season.
The Chiefs amassed 212 yards of offense in the first half compared to just
105 by Baltimore, but the Ravens used two big plays in the second quarter to
forge a 17-17 tie.
Baltimore trailed late in the period before Sams broke loose for his first
NFL touchdown, one play after a replay reversed an apparent first down run by
Holmes. Sams hauled in the ball with no one around him, cut to his left and
weaved his way into the end zone with 1:30 left.
A trick play enabled Baltimore to tie it at 10. Lewis took a handoff and ran
right before tossing the ball back to Boller, who lofted a 57-yard touchdown to
a wide-open Randy Hymes.
But the Ravens simply couldn't stop the Kansas City offense. Green completed
four passes and ran for 13 yards on a third-and-9 play from the 17, setting up
a 4-yard touchdown run by Holmes for a 17-10 lead.
For the third straight game, Baltimore scored on its opening possession.
Lewis ran for 18 yards on the first play from scrimmage, and the Ravens tacked
on 18 more yards before Matt Stover kicked a 50-yard field goal, his longest
since October 2002.
Kansas City promptly answered with a 60-yard drive in which Green went
3-for-4 for 39 yards, including a 3-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jason Dunn
on a third-and-1 play. It was the first time in six games that the Ravens
yielded a score in the first quarter.
The Chiefs used one timeout on that march, and on their next possession they
burned two more, the last with 1:38 left in the opening period. But Green twice
connected with his tight ends during the second drive, which produced a 42-yard
field goal and a 10-3 lead.
