Vick, Falcons Spoil a Big Day for Plummer

Michael Vick made all the players around him look better -- even the other team’s quarterback.

Vick accounted for 367 yards in offense Sunday to help the Atlanta Falcons to a 41-28 victory over the host Denver Broncos, who got a record day from Jake Plummer in his futile attempt to play catch-up.

“If I had thrown for two yards and we’d won, I’d be the happiest guy in here right now,” said Plummer, who threw for 499 yards and lost.

The 499 yards were his career high, a Denver franchise record and the best mark in the NFL this season. Rod Smith had a career-high 208 yards receiving and an 80-yard touchdown, one of four Plummer threw. The Broncos set a record with 567 yards, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Plummer’s three interceptions and the stellar performance from Vick.

“Is there anybody else like him? Come on, now,” Bronco cornerback Champ Bailey said.

Vick threw two touchdown passes to Peerless Price and had 252 yards passing and 115 rushing, both season highs.

“It would be a big understatement to say that was a nice win for us,” Coach Jim Mora said.

Vick got things going early by turning what looked like a sure loss into a 44-yard run up the middle, a play that “kind of set the tempo,” Bronco cornerback Kelly Herndon said.

Vick’s two touchdown passes to Price were beautiful. One dropped perfectly over the receiver’s shoulder on a post pattern for a 17-14 lead in the second quarter, the other Price snatched out of Herndon’s hands in the corner of the end zone to make it 34-14 in the fourth.

Atlanta had 467 yards against a defense that had given up fewer than 240 a game. Vick, who was 18 for 24 for a passer rating of 136.1, led the Falcons to scores on six of their first nine possessions.

“We didn’t do anything wildly different,” Mora said. “It was in our plan to get [Vick] going a little bit, but we still called our game.”

Buffalo 38, Arizona 14 -- Willis McGahee provided the offensive spark the Bills needed, running for 102 yards and two touchdowns at Orchard Park, N.Y.

In two starts this season, McGahee has two 100-yard games and has led the Bills to their two victories. He sat out his rookie season in 2003 after reconstructive knee surgery.

McGahee’s two scores were the first of his career, and the first touchdowns rushing in 10 games for Buffalo. His performance inspired a breakout performance for an offense that was averaging fewer than 13 points a game.

The Cardinals continued to struggle away from home after a 25-17 victory over Seattle in Arizona the previous week. The loss was Arizona’s 17th in a row on the road, the worst current streak in the NFL dating to a win at Carolina on Oct. 6, 2002.