Levy, Bills Once More Atop East : Interconference: In his first game after cancer surgery, coach directs Buffalo to a 23-17 victory over Atlanta.

Marv Levy left the Buffalo Bills with a one-game lead in the AFC East, and that’s exactly the way he got them back.

Jim Kelly completed 22 of 36 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns to Bill Brooks as the Bills beat the Atlanta Falcons, 23-17, Sunday.

It marked Levy’s first game on the sidelines after prostate-cancer surgery four weeks ago and, combined with New England’s victory over Miami, gave the Bills (7-3) sole possession of the division lead.

“When you’re at home, all you can do is give it a little body English,” Levy said. “Today, I had to make decisions about whether we should go for it or not. At home, I had to make a decision between potato chips and popcorn.”

Levy made enough good decisions to beat Atlanta, which had a chance to win until Jeff George was intercepted by Kurt Schulz in the end zone with 52 seconds remaining.

Rookie Darick Holmes, backing up Thurman Thomas, gained 100 yards in 23 carries for Buffalo, which had 415 yards in total offense.

Thomas gained 66 yards in 17 carries in his first game since returning from a hamstring injury. Brooks caught seven passes for 101 yards and the two scores, and Steve Christie kicked three field goals for the Bills.

Holmes had struggled with the rest of the Bills’ offense in the two games Thomas sat out, but he finished with the biggest game of his young career.

“I’m excited whether I’m coming off the bench or starting,” Holmes said. “It’s a big difference. Thurman comes in slashing, and I come in pounding.”

The game was tied, 17-17, when Christie kicked his second field goal, a 38-yarder, with 2:51 left in the third quarter. Buffalo, which had been struggling on third down, kept the drive alive when Kelly threw to Russell Copeland for a 10-yard gain on fourth down from the Atlanta 33. Christie added a 21-yard field goal with 1:56 left in the game.

Jeff George completed 17 of 34 passes for 279 yards, but he was unable to get the Falcons a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Atlanta (6-4) drove to the Buffalo 20-yard line before Schulz’s interception.

“We probably got greedy,” Falcon Coach June Jones said. “Usually, you want to take a shot at the end zone, but we probably should have run the ball first. We knew what [defense] they were in, and we thought we could get it.”