NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Jake Plummer broke out of his slump and
kept the Denver Broncos in the playoff race.
Plummer threw for 303 yards and two touchdowns and Reuben
Droughns scored three TDs as the Broncos beat the Tennessee Titans
37-16 Saturday night to stay in at least a tie for the AFC's final
wild-card slot going into the final week of the season.
Denver (9-6) had lost three of its last four games with two of
those losses to teams with losing records, including last week's
45-17 rout at Kansas City. Plummer hurt Denver more than he helped
with nine interceptions and only two touchdowns in that stretch.
Against a defense missing six starters, Plummer was intercepted
once, giving him an NFL-high 20 interceptions this season. But he
otherwise was superb, going 21-for-26.
The Broncos gave coach Mike Shanahan his 100th career
regular-season victory with the franchise at the expense of his
friend, Titans coach Jeff Fisher.
Denver handed the Titans (4-11) their fifth straight loss by
shutting down Billy Volek, who was trying to become the first
quarterback in NFL history to throw for 400 yards in three
consecutive games.
Reggie Hayward had three of the Broncos' six sacks, and the
defense also forced two turnovers and limited Tennessee to a
season-low 153 yards offense.<
^Chiefs 31, Raiders 30=
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Lawrence Tynes followed Dante Hall's
49-yard kickoff return with a 38-yard field goal with 22 seconds to
go. It was the fourth win in a row for the Chiefs (7-8), whose
Super Bowl hopes were dashed by a 1-3 start and a four-game losing
streak in November.
Sebastian Janikowski scored the last nine points for Oakland
(5-10) on three field goals, including a 46-yarder with 1:03 left
that followed a fumble by Chiefs quarterback Trent Green.
But Hall, who already has two touchdowns on kick runbacks this
year, got loose on the ensuing kick and was not stopped until
Janikowski got him on the Raiders 36.
Tynes, who had missed from 50 yards and had another attempt
blocked, had no trouble with his first NFL game-winner even though
his holder, punter Nick Murphy, had only been signed at midweek.
Green hit 32 of 45 passes for 358 yards and two touchdowns to
tight end Tony Gonzalez, who has 54 career TDs, tied with Wesley
Walls for third all-time at tight end.
^MORE