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By FRED GOODALL AP Sports Writer
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- New quarterback, same old winning formula for the Baltimore Ravens.
Only this time, they finally did it on the road.
Chris McAlister returned one of the Ravens' three interceptions 61 yards for a touchdown and 340-pound rookie Haloti Ngata lumbered 60 yards with a tipped pass to set up a field goal to key a 27-0 rout of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
Christening the Steve McNair era that's expected to provide enough offense to relieve the pressure from a perennially stout and overworked defense, Baltimore drove 80 yards for a touchdown after the opening kickoff and finished the rout with McNair's 4-yard TD pass to Daniel Wilcox.
The Ravens (1-0) won on the road for the first time since beating the New York Jets 20-17 in overtime on Nov. 14, 2004, ending an 11-game skid that was the longest in the NFL. The Bucs (0-1) were shut out at home for the first time since 1996.
McNair completed 17 of 27 passes for 181 yards and no interceptions against the league's No. 1 defense from last season. The only time he was sacked, the 2003 NFL co-MVP lost the grip on the ball attempting to pass and fell on the fumble.
The Ravens sacked Chris Simms twice, held Carnell "Cadillac" Williams to 22 yards rushing on eight carries and limited the Bucs to 142 yards total offense.
Jamal Lewis scored on a 4-yard run in the first quarter and McAlister returned his interception for a 14-0 lead on the first play of the second. Ngata's first career pick led to Matt Stover's field goal, and Ed Reed finished the raid on Chris Simms' errant passes with a fourth-quarter interception that led to the Ravens' last TD.
Simms was 17-of-29 for 133 yards and was benched midway through the fourth quarter. Rookie Bruce Gradkowski replaced him to cheers from what was left of a crowd of 65,087. The sixth-round draft pick wasn't much better.
Baltimore struggled to move the ball after McNair directed a 14-play, 80-yard drive on the game's first possession. But with the Ravens defense re-energized with Ray Lewis back in the lineup, the outcome was never in doubt.
McAlister picked off an underthrown ball intended for Anthony Becht and returned the interception up the sideline, racing into the end zone with help from a convoy of blocker that prevented Cadillac Williams -- the last player with a chance to stop him -- from making the tackle.
Lewis missed the last 10 games of 2005 with a hamstring injury that required surgery, and Baltimores stumbled to a 6-10 record and missed the playoffs for the second straight year. His return, coupled with McNair's arrival are the main reasons the Ravens think they have a chance to contend for a championship this season.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APTV-09-10-06 1421MDT
