PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- The NFL's Comeback Player of the Year wrote a familiar first chapter to the 2003 season.
Tommy Maddox passed for 260 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 34-15 victory over the Baltimore Ravens in a season opener matching AFC North Division rivals.
Maddox completed 38-of-54 passes for 376 yards and four touchdowns in Pittsburgh's sweep of the Ravens last season. He was even more impressive on Sunday, completing 21-of-29 passes.
Hines Ward and Plaxico Burress, perhaps the NFL's top receiving tandem, combined for 15 catches and 207 yards. Ward caught touchdown passes of four and 28 yards.
"Those two are pretty good," Maddox said of Ward and Burress. "They keep stretching the field. It's fun in this offense. Our offensive line blocked very well. The pass protection was unbelievable. It gave us the opportunity to execute and make plays."
It was the first season-opening start for the 32-year-old Maddox, who unseated Kordell Stewart as the Steelers' starting quarterback last October.
While Maddox dissected Baltimore's secondary, Kyle Boller completed 22-of-43 passes for 152 yards and one touchdown with one interception in his first NFL start.
Boller, the 19th overall pick in the 2003 draft, was the only rookie quarterback to start this weekend. He beat out third-year player Chris Redman for the starting job in preseason.
"This is definitely faster than preseason," Boller said. "Pittsburgh's defense played well. I thought I understood the game plan. Once you get out there you just try to get better each series."
But Boller got off to a rough start, throwing an interception that was returned 42 yards by linebacker Kendrell Bell to the Baltimore 38 on the Ravens' first possession. A 16-yard pass from Maddox to Burress set up the second of Jeff Reed's two first-quarter field goals.
A fan favorite who is ideally suited for blue-collar Pittsburgh, Maddox bounced around the NFL, retired when no one wanted him, entered the insurance business and played in the Arena League before signing with the Steelers in 2001.
Maddox hit Burress with a 47-yard pass before connecting with Ward on a four-yard scoring play with 2:57 left in the second quarter, giving the Steelers a 13-0 lead.
Maddox threw a 20-yard touchdown to tight end Jay Riemersma and connected again with Ward on a 28-yard scoring play in the third quarter, opening a 27-0 lead.
Ward, who ranked second in the AFC with 1,329 receiving yards last season, finished with nine catches for 91 yards.
"I take my hat off to Maddox and their offense," said Ravens linebacker Peter Boulware. "He (Maddox) had a lot of time out there and found his receivers. They executed well. If you make a small mistake with them, they can turn it into something and today they did."
The Ravens didn't move the ball inside the Pittsburgh 35 until late in the third quarter, when two long pass interference penalties on cornerback Dewayne Washington for 57 yards highlighted Baltimore's first scoring drive. Jamal Lewis capped it with a 14-yard touchdown run with 1:56 remaining in the third quarter.
Lewis finished with 69 yards on 15 carries against the defense which has ranked No. 1 against the run each of the last two years.
Boller threw his first NFL touchdown, a five-yard pass to Travis Taylor with 4:22 left in the game. It came three plays after Ravens nose tackle Kelly Gregg recovered a fumble by Verron Hayes at the Pittsburgh 2.
Todd Heap, who led the Ravens with 68 catches last season, had five receptions for 66 yards.
"This game was a measuring stick to see how far we came from last year," said Ravens coach Brian Billick after losing to Pittsburgh for the fourth straight time. "Based on this game, we have a long way to go."
Pittsburgh didn't get much of a running game with Amos Zereoue gaining 56 yards on 15 carries, but didn't need one with the way Maddox was clicking with Ward and Burress. Both receivers credited Riemersma for occupying defenders in the middle of the field.
"On my second touchdown, Jay took care of the safety and the corner came up to meet me," Ward said. "I just gave him a fake and was able to get by him. With the addition of Jay, we're going to challenge a lot of people."
"Jay Riemersma is going to create a lot of problems for teams," Burress said. "He's going to expand the ability of our offense and will let us be a bigger challenge for defensive backs."
It was the Steelers' first season-opening win since 1999. They are 5-7 in openers under coach Bill Cowher.
