By DAVID GINSBURG
AP Sports Writer

BALTIMORE(AP) -- The Baltimore Ravens found a different way to
win, and did so in record-setting fashion.

Long known for their punishing defense and relentless ground
game, the Ravens went airborne to beat the Kansas City Chiefs
38-24 on Sunday.

Joe Flacco went 26 for 43 for 307 yards and three touchdowns,
all career highs. He was the focal point of an attack that
amassed a franchise-record 501 yards and helped ruin the NFL
head coaching debut of Todd Haley.

Now in his second season, Flacco threw as many as 30 passes in
only four games last year - each time in a losing cause.

Given the opportunity from the outset to throw the ball instead
of handing it off, Flacco couldn't contain his delight.

"It's awesome. It's so much fun," he said. "As a quarterback,
that's what you want to do."

It may not have been an isolated opportunity, either.

"We're going to throw more if it helps us win games," coach John
Harbaugh said. "I think that we will be capable of throwing the
ball more ways than we did last year. We have really good
players that can make plays."

Such as Mark Clayton, who had five catches for 77 yards,
including a 31-yard touchdown grab with 2:06 left that gave
Baltimore a 31-24 lead.

Willis McGahee scored from the 1 with 31 seconds remaining to
clinch it.

Another surprising aspect of the game was Kansas City's ability
to keep it close despite playing without Matt Cassel, whose
sprained left knee did not heal enough to enable him to make his
Chiefs debut.

That left the quarterbacking responsibilities to Brodie Croyle
and Tyler Thigpen, who entered with a collective 1-18 record as
NFL starters. The Chiefs didn't get their initial first down
until deep into the second quarter, but used a blocked punt and
a long interception return to keep it close until their offense
finally got rolling.

Croyle played all but one series and went 16 for 24 for 177
yards and two touchdowns.

Asked to assess his performance, Croyle said, "Play well, don't
play well - if you don't win, you still have the same feeling
and that's where I'm at."

Haley added: "I thought Brodie Croyle gave us a chance to win
today and that's all I'll ever ask my quarterback to do."

Larry Johnson, the last player to run for 100 yards against the
Ravens (in December 2006), finished with 20 yards on 11 carries.

That, and the Ravens' air show, contributed to Baltimore nearly
doubling Kansas City's time of possession.

"I got to give credit to Baltimore. They were a throwing machine
today," Haley said. "They threw the ball probably a lot more
than we anticipated."

The Chiefs couldn't contain Clayton or tight end Todd Heap, who
had five catches for 74 yards. He made four first downs, scored
a touchdown and relished being part of an offense that seemingly
moved at will.

"It was fun. We haven't done that too many times around here,
ever," Heap said.

Baltimore, which led the AFC in rushing last season, didn't
entirely abandon the usual script. Ray Rice ran for 108 yards,
McGahee added 44 and the Ravens finished with 198 yards rushing.

Down 14-10 late in the third quarter, the Ravens regained the
lead with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Heap, who caught the ball
around the 3 and bulled into the end zone.

Croyle then connected with Mark Bradley for a 50-yard completion
- the longest of the quarterback's career - to set up a 53-yard
field goal by Ryan Succop, the last player chosen in the 2009
draft.

After Baltimore took a 24-17 lead on a 1-yard run by Le'Ron
McClain with 8:10 remaining, Croyle answered with a touchdown
pass to Sean Ryan.

Despite amassing a 215-56 advantage in total yardage, the Ravens
led only 10-7 at halftime.

Kansas City's first touchdown of the season came on a blocked
punt by Jon McGraw that he recovered in the end zone. The Chiefs
went up 14-10 in the third quarter when Derrick Johnson returned
an interception 70 yards to set up Croyle's TD pass to Dwayne
Bowe.

Notes: A moment of silence was held for former Ravens
quarterback Steve McNair before the national anthem. ... Croyle
is 0-9 as a starter, but his two passing TDs matched his career
high. ... Baltimore's Jarret Johnson had a career-high two
sacks.