Baltimore ? The Kansas City Chiefs bullied the Baltimore Ravens with a dominant performance that belied their stature as a winless team.

The Chiefs wore down the highly touted Baltimore defense with an impressive display of ball control, and held on for a 27-24 victory Monday night.

Kansas City running back Priest Holmes (31) dives over Baltimore's Marques Douglas (94), Edgerton Hartwell (56), and Chris McAlister on his way to scoring the game-winning touchdown. The Chiefs picked up their first win this season, a 27-24 victory Monday in Baltimore.

Priest Holmes ran for 125 yards and two touchdowns, and the Chiefs nearly doubled the Ravens in total yardage and time of possession.

The result was a satisfying victory that enabled the Chiefs to restore a measure of normalcy to a season that was in danger of going awry.

“This doesn’t get us into the playoffs, but it gets us going,” coach Dick Vermeil said.

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.

“This is a heck of a win. We needed it,” Chiefs president Carl Peterson said on his way the locker room.

Kansas City finished with a 398-207 advantage in total net yards and held the ball for 39 minutes, 43 seconds.

“It’s very disappointing to not play as physical as we’re capable of,” Ravens coach Brian Billick said. “They were more physical in every facet of it, which is something unique for us. We are not going to win too many games when we’re not playing our game, if they out-physical us.”

Through three quarters, Kansas City had 22 first downs compared to four for the Ravens. A one-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.

“We were fortunate to do it in Raven-esque fashion,” Chiefs defensive end Eric Hicks said. “People have been talking and putting us down, but we’re making a turnaround.”

Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil, right, gets a hug from defensive tackle Junior Siavii after the Chiefs edged the Ravens.

Holmes, who played for Baltimore from 1997 to 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. Monday night, Kansas City had 17 points by halftime.

“They came out, had a nice rhythm and made plays,” Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis said.

After Baltimore (2-2) closed to 27-24 on a one-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.

Jamal 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 touchdown pass on a flea-flicker, but the Ravens never took back the lead after going up 3-0.

Kansas City went up 20-17 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.

Kansas City wide receiver Johnnie Morton, right, makes a grab over Baltimore cornerback Raymond Walls. The Chiefs defeated the Ravens, 27-24, Monday in Baltimore.

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 pass to a wide-open Randy Hymes.

But the Ravens simply couldn’t stop the Kansas City offense. Baltimore hadn’t allowed a point in the first quarter this season, but the Chiefs scored 10.

Notes: There were no turnovers by either team. … Sams’ punt return was the first kick returned for a touchdown by Baltimore since Lamont Brightful did it against Cincinnati on Nov. 10, 2002. … The Ravens scored on their opening drive in a third straight game.