By David Ginsburg
The Associated Press

BALTIMORE - Winless no more, the Baltimore Ravens made a mockery of the unbeaten Denver Broncos long before Chris McAlister taunted them during the longest play in NFL history.

Ravens' Chris McAlister, center, sprints into the end zone for six points after returning a missed field goal 108 yards for the longest play in NFL history Broncos place kicker Jason Elam, left, and Ravens' Adalius Thomas, look on. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

McAlister returned a missed field goal 108 yards to put an exclamation point on a remarkable second quarter, and the Ravens cruised to a 34-23 victory Monday night.

Outscored 35-7 in its first two games, Baltimore (1-2) set a team record with a 31-point second quarter. The topper came on an alert play by McAlister and yet another gaffe by the Broncos' special teams.

With one second left in the half and Baltimore up 24-3, Denver's Jason Elam came up short on a 57-yard field goal try. McAlister caught the ball deep in the end zone, then hesitated before bringing it out.

Following a crushing block by Ray Lewis on Keith Burns at the Baltimore 5, McAlister broke to his left and easily outran the coverage. He began waving the ball over his head at the Denver 25 and high-stepped the rest of the way into the end zone.

"That's the way we practice it," McAlister said. "I watched and hung in the end zone and let my guys set up the wall. All I saw was purple jerseys and green until I hit the end zone."

McAlister's 108-yard romp topped the record of 106 yards, set three times previously on kickoff returns. The last time it happened was when Roy Green of the St. Louis Cardinals took a kickoff all the way against Dallas in 1979.

McAlister's second career touchdown all but spelled the end for the Broncos (3-1), who were victimized as much by their own mistakes as they were by an inspired Baltimore team looking for redemption.

Brian Griese was intercepted three times, Tom Rouen had a punt blocked and Pro Bowl cornerback Deltha O'Neal was ejected in the second quarter for bumping head linesman Tom Stabile while protesting a pass interference call.

The Ravens' Robert Tate took the second-half kickoff 64 yards to set up a field goal to make it 34-3. The Broncos fought back, but it was too big a hole to make up.

"Everything we do with this young team is a learning experience," Baltimore coach Brian Billick said. "Tonight it was learning to cope with the national spotlight. How were they going to react? Then, it was learning how to protect a big lead."

Baltimore, a seven-point underdog, was eager to prove that an offseason overhaul did not rob the team of its spirit.

"Nobody believes in us. We just played together. ... We beat a first-class team tonight," Lewis said.

O'Neal's double foul accounted for two of eight first-half penalties totaling 86 yards against the Broncos, who had only 15 penalties in their first three games.

Down 3-0, Baltimore used a 15-yard punt return by McAlister to take over at the Denver 46. On third-and-1 from the 23, Chris Redman faked a handoff and threw a strike to tight end Todd Heap, who made a leaping catch in the end zone over safety Kenoy Kennedy.

"The pass was just how I like it, high and soft," Heap said. "I just outjumped the defender."

That ended a run of 22 possessions without a score for the Ravens, who added plenty more over the next 14 minutes.

Top draft pick Ed Reed ended Denver's next possession with the first blocked punt in Ravens history, giving Baltimore the ball at the 13. Jamal Lewis then scored from the 2, his first touchdown since the 2001 Super Bowl, for a 14-3 lead.

Denver fell apart on Baltimore's next drive, starting with O'Neal's pass interference call and foolish chest bump of the official. The Broncos were called for five penalties totaling 51 yards on a march that ended with a 23-yard field goal by Matt Stover.

Baltimore wasn't done. Ray Lewis picked off a pass by Griese and took it to the Denver 36, and Redman immediately threw a pass into double coverage that Heap caught at the 3. On third down, Heap caught a floater in the left side of the end zone over Sam Brandon.

"Heap's making me look good," said Redman, who went 13-for-24 for 152 yards and two touchdowns. "Man, I hope we're playing together for a long time."

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