Denver ? Jake Plummer made all the difference for the Denver Broncos.

Plummer showed no signs of rust in his first game in a month, throwing for 253 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Broncos to a 37-8 rout Sunday of the San Diego Chargers.

“There’s no question you try to minimize the situation when one of your guys goes out,” said tight end Shannon Sharpe, who caught all three of Plummer’s touchdown passes. “But Jake brings us to a dimension we don’t have unless he’s in the ball game.”

No kidding.

With Plummer back after missing four games with foot and shoulder injuries, Denver (6-4) came flying out of its bye week.

The Broncos dominated from the start, scoring on five of seven first-half possessions to take a 27-0 lead. Denver had 448 total yards and held the ball on offense for an amazing 44:11 — believed to be a team record — to end a three-game losing streak.

“Today was a big step for us because we came out and made plays for the first time in a while,” Plummer said.

They sure did.

Sharpe caught seven passes for 101 yards and passed Jerry Smith’s league record for touchdowns by a tight end with 61. He already was the all-time leader in receptions and yards at his position.

Denver running back Clinton Portis pulls in a five-yard pass in the second quarter against San Diego. The Broncos won, 37-8, Sunday in Denver.

Rod Smith had a 65-yard punt return for a touchdown and caught 10 passes for 84 yards to become the 29th player in league history to eclipse 600 receptions (608).

Clinton Portis added 106 yards on 25 carries, and Jason Elam hit two field goals despite a strained groin.

Plummer played like he never left, hitting 23 of 34 passes to improve to 5-1 as Denver’s starter.

“They kept getting first down after first down, and there was nothing we could do about it,” Chargers cornerback Sammy Davis said.

San Diego’s offense was even worse, one week after Doug Flutie led an improbable victory.

The Chargers (2-8) managed just 96 yards — three in the second and third quarters — after gaining a season-high 458 in a 42-28 win over Minnesota last week. San Diego also had four turnovers and went 37:47 between their first and second first downs.

Flutie was phenomenal against the Vikings, accounting for four touchdowns, but wasn’t so great against the Broncos.

He was 9-for-25 for 70 yards with an interception and two fumbles. He at least improved over the first half, when he was 3-for-12 for 15 yards with a quarterback rating of 4.9.

Denver quarterback Jake Plummer, playing in his first game in a month, looks for an open receiver. Plummer threw for 253 yards and three touchdowns in Sunday's victory over San Diego.

“Things didn’t go well,” Flutie said. “We aren’t all smiles and happy. It was frustrating not to be able to make a play.”

LaDainian Tomlinson, the league’s fourth-leading rusher, was held to 29 yards on eight carries.

“It is very disappointing, one of the most disappointing losses I’ve been involved with,” Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer said. “We’re out there turning the ball over four times, we can’t hand it off, take the snap, we’re dropping balls. It’s very, very disappointing.”

And it was bad from the start.

Flutie missed badly on a screen the first play of the game, then fumbled a snap that Denver’s Al Wilson recovered at the Chargers 23-yard line.

Denver failed to convert — Portis was stopped on fourth-and-inches — but Tomlinson fumbled on the next play when Flutie’s handoff came in too high.

The Broncos took advantage this time, scoring on Plummer’s 11-yard pass to Sharpe, who celebrated by beating up Denver’s Bronco mascot behind the end zone.

Elam gingerly kicked a 42-yard field goal to put Denver up 10-0, then followed with a 22-yarder early in the second quarter.

The rout was on four plays later when Smith took off up the middle for his first career punt return for a touchdown. That put the Broncos up 20-0 with over eight minutes still left in the half.

Sharpe capped the first half with a 26-yard touchdown catch, stiff-arming Terrence Kiel the final five yards, then added a diving 26-yard touchdown in the third that made it 34-0.

“We just had to make some plays,” Sharpe said. “The situation today was that we made the big plays.”

Packers 20, Buccaneers 13

Tampa, Fla. — Playing with a broken right thumb and shrugging off five years of futility at Raymond James Stadium, Brett Favre led a 98-yard second-half drive to lift Green Bay. Ahman Green finished the march with a one-yard run that vaulted the Packers (5-5) back into the thick of the NFC playoff race. They dealt the Bucs (4-6) their third straight loss to hurt the defending Super Bowl champions’ chances of getting back to the postseason.

Panthers 20, Redskins 17

Charlotte, N.C. — Stephen Davis scored on a three-yard run with 1:09 remaining to help Carolina beat his old team. Trying to shake off a nagging ankle sprain that sidelined him last week, Davis had 92 yards rushing on 28 carries for the Panthers (8-2).

Colts 38, Jets 31

Indianapolis — Edgerrin James ran for a season-high 127 yards and three touchdowns, and punter Hunter Smith raced 21 yards on a fake field goal for the go-ahead score for Indianapolis. The Jets (3-7) and Colts combined for 862 total yards of offense, 69 points and scored on a myriad of big and strange plays. Peyton Manning was 27-of-36 for a season-high 401 yards and one touchdown.

Eagles 28, Giants 10

Philadelphia — Donovan McNabb threw for 314 yards and two touchdowns, and Brian Westbrook caught two TD passes and ran for a score in the Eagles’ fifth straight victory. The two-time NFC East-champion Eagles (7-3) have won seven of eight after opening the season with two losses at home. The Giants (4-6) have lost two in a row, including an embarrassing 27-7 loss to Atlanta last week.

Rams 23, Bears 21

Chicago — Jeff Wilkins kicked a 31-yard field goal with 38 seconds left to help the Rams win for the sixth time in seven games. Marshall Faulk ran for 103 yards and the Rams (7-3) overcame a 14-3 halftime deficit. Wilkins’ third field goal came after the Rams moved 67 yards behind six completions from Marc Bulger, including a 21-yarder to Torry Holt.

Browns 44, Cardinals 6

Cleveland — Kelly Holcomb passed for 392 yards and three touchdowns, and the Browns showed no signs of disarray in their rout of Arizona. James Jackson had two TD runs and Phil Dawson kicked three field goals for the Browns (4-6), who came into the game with three straight losses and seemingly in turmoil. Tuesday, coach Butch Davis released leading receiver Kevin Johnson. Thursday, the NFL suspended standout running back William Green four games for violating the league’s substance abuse program.

Titans 10, Jaguars 3

Nashville, Tenn. — Steve McNair threw for a touchdown, and the defense held off the Jaguars at the goal line in the final minute for the Titans’ fifth straight win. Jacksonville (2-8) had first-and-goal needing to score to force overtime, but the Titans stopped Chris Fuamatu-Ma’afala twice up the middle for losses. Scott McGarrahan tackled Cortez Hankton at the two after an eight-yard catch, then Byron Leftwich couldn’t find a receiver in the end zone on fourth-and-two.

Saints 23, Falcons 20, OT

New Orleans — John Carney kicked a 36-yard field goal in overtime to lift New Orleans, which rallied from a 20-3 first-half deficit. Deuce McAllister, held to 20 yards in the first half, finished with 173 yards and two touchdowns for the Saints (5-5). McAllister had touchdown runs of five and seven yards in the rally, and Carney tied the game with a 26-yard field goal.

Dolphins 9, Ravens 6, OT

Miami — Olindo Mare hit a 43-yard field goal with 8:48 left in overtime to win it for the Dolphins. Mare missed a 48-yard attempt wide right that would have put Miami (6-4) ahead with 2:29 left in regulation. Last month, he missed two 35-yard tries that would have beaten New England.

Texans 12, Bills 10

Orchard Park, N.Y. — Tony Banks came off the bench and hit rookie receiver Andre Johnson for a 46-yard touchdown, and Kris Brown made two field goals to spark the Texans. Banks filled in for David Carr, who hurt his right shoulder in the first quarter. The Texans (4-6) matched their win total from last year’s expansion season.

Raiders 28, Vikings 18

Oakland, Calif. — Phillip Buchanon scored on a 64-yard interception return 49 seconds into the game, and third-string quarterback Rick Mirer calmly helped the Raiders end a five-game losing streak. Daunte Culpepper passed for 396 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score. But his mistakes far outweighed his contributions as Minnesota (6-4) lost its fourth straight.

Seahawks 35, Lions 14

Seattle — Bobby Engram had an 83-yard punt return for a touchdown and caught a 34-yard scoring pass to help the Seahawks improve to 6-0 at home and maintain a share of the NFC West lead with St. Louis. The win was wrapped up by halftime, when Seattle (7-3) had 300 yards and a 35-14 lead.

Patriots 12, Cowboys 0

Foxboro, Mass. — New England won this ballyhooed meeting of masterminds Bill Belichick and Bill Parcells. The Patriots, sparked by two long passes by a mostly ineffective Tom Brady, had enough offense to win their sixth straight game and give Belichick a 3-2 career record over Parcells.