KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Kansas City Chiefs were 2 yards away from taking a double-digit lead against Houston, hoping to avoid their first 0-3 start in 24 years.

Then Trent Green hung a badly thrown pass and Marcus Coleman took advantage.

Coleman intercepted the ball and raced 102 yards for a third-quarter touchdown, keeping the defending AFC West champs from taking a 15-point lead. Instead, the Texans tied it at 14 and eventually won 24-21 when Kris Brown kicked a 49-yard field goal with 2 seconds left.

"That was a huge play he made," Houston coach Dom Capers said. "That got us back in the game."

Kansas City, 13-3 a year ago, is 0-3 for the first time since starting the 1980 season 0-4. The Chiefs became the fourth team since 1990 to start 0-3 after making the playoffs the previous season.

Coleman's return was the longest defensive touchdown ever given up by the Chiefs, and the longest in Houston's two-plus seasons. It came after the Texans (1-2) stuffed the best running back in Chiefs history for a loss near the goal line.

Priest Holmes, who broke Christian Okoye's career rushing record with 134 yards Sunday, lost a yard on first-and-goal from the 1. The Chiefs decided to try a pass in the right flat to tight end Tony Gonzalez, who had already caught the first of Green's three scoring passes.

Gonzalez turned around, just in time to see Coleman snag the ball and take off down the left sideline. Holmes caught him just outside the end zone, but was unable to strip the ball.

"It feels like someone's got me in a headlock, and I can't get out of it," said Gonzalez, whose 14-yard catch gave Kansas City a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.

Holmes played despite a sprained ankle. He broke Okoye's record of 4,897 yards midway through the third quarter, on a 7-yard run up the middle, and finished the game with 4,941 yards.

After the interception return, the Chiefs went up 21-14 on Green's 5-yard pass to Jason Dunn with just under 11 minutes left. But Kansas City's defense suddenly found itself susceptible to the long pass.

Derick Armstrong had a 20-yard catch on third-and-17, followed by Andre Johnson's leaping, juggling 37-yard reception over cornerback Eric Warfield to set up David Carr's 9-yard pass to Jabar Gaffney to tie it at 21. On Houston's final drive, Armstrong hauled in a 35-yarder to get the Texans within field goal range.

"I was pleased with our run defense," Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil said. "They got some throws on us, no question. We lost a very disheartening football game, and it'll hurt."

Houston won despite just 76 yards rushing against a team that gave up career days to opposing running backs in the first two games - and Carr failed to complete a pass until 11:20 remained in the first half, when Domanick Davis had a 17-yard catch.

"It's bittersweet, because we wanted to have a good defensive effort after giving up some huge plays in the last couple of weeks," Chiefs defensive end Eric Hicks said. "Carr is an outstanding quarterback with good mobility, and he made throws when he needed to."

Houston trailed 7-6 at the half after Brown kicked field goals of 28 and 49 yards in the second quarter. Green's 6-yard pass to Chris Horn, activated from the practice squad Saturday, put the Chiefs up 14-6 early in the third.