MINNEAPOLIS – So the Minnesota Vikings can beat good teams, too.

Daunte Culpepper passed for 277 yards in his return at quarterback and the defense harassed Steve Beuerlein as the Vikings hung on for a 28-20 victory over the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

Randy Moss had 10 receptions for 151 yards, and his lateral to Moe Williams on the final play of the first half led to a 59-yard score.

Minnesota (6-0) entered as one of three remaining unbeaten teams in the NFL, but the Vikings’ first five victories came at the expense of opponents with a combined record of 8-20.

The Broncos (5-2) nearly rallied behind third-string quarterback Danny Kanell, who went 12-for-18 for 104 yards and a touchdown in place of the injured Beuerlein.

Clinton Portis rushed 25 times for 117 yards and a touchdown, and had three catches for 43 yards for Denver, which trailed 28-7 midway through the third quarter.

Beuerlein, playing in place of injured starter Jake Plummer, completed 9 of 19 passes for 119 yards and three interceptions before leaving in the third quarter with a dislocated finger on his throwing hand. He was sacked four times.

Titans 37, Panthers 17

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Carolina Panthers let their perfect start to the season quickly slip away against the Tennessee Titans.

The Titans converted four fumbles into scores, while Steve McNair threw for one touchdown and ran for another, and Tennessee handed Carolina its first loss, 37-17 Sunday.

Keith Bullock scored on a 35-yard fumble recovery, Gary Anderson kicked field goals of 32, 34 and 40 yards, and Tennessee (5-2) got another TD with a 50-yard pass from Billy Volek to Eddie Berlin on a fake punt.

It all added up to a lopsided loss for the Panthers (5-1), who found themselves in an early hole and playing to a chorus of boos before halftime.

The game also exposed many of Carolina’s weaknesses.

The Panthers’ vaunted defense struggled to stop the pass, allowing McNair to go 12-of-22 for 190 yards, including a 22-yard touchdown pass to Drew Bennett. It also had difficulty containing a mobile quarterback: McNair scrambled for 30 yards, with a 7-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.

Also glaringly evident is that when Carolina’s running game doesn’t work – and it never

did against Tennessee – the Panthers have little to fall back on.

Bills 24, Redskins 7

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – Travis Henry provided quite a response to those wondering whether the Buffalo Bills would be better off with Willis McGahee.

Henry ran for a career-high 167 yards and scored twice, providing a spark for a sputtering offense in the Bills’ 24-7 win over the Washington Redskins on Sunday.

Josh Reed also had a big day, finishing with eight catches for 109 yards and a touchdown.

The Redskins (3-4) lost their third straight game and played the final nine minutes without starting quarterback Patrick Ramsey. He bruised his right (throwing) hand when he was sacked by Aaron Schobel.

It was an important outcome in many ways for the Bills (4-3), who had lost three of their previous four games.

All at once, Henry made a case for himself and defused the criticism directed at Bills coach Gregg Williams, who took a lot of the blame for his team’s lackadaisical efforts.

The running back’s performance came after a week in which McGahee practiced for the first time with the Bills. The University of Miami star was Buffalo’s first-round draft pick and has been heralded as the heir apparent to Henry.

Not just yet.

By clearing McGahee for practices, the Bills have a three-week window to determine whether to put him on their active roster. He tore ligaments in his left knee in Miami’s loss to Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl in January.

Sunday’s outcome was determined at the start of the third quarter, after the Redskins cut the Bills’ lead to 10-7 on Ramsey’s 25-yard touchdown pass to Darnerien McCants.

The Bills responded on their next drive, marching 80 yards on six plays, capped by Drew Bledsoe’s 10-yard pass to Reed. Henry keyed the drive with runs of 21 and 13 yards.

Henry then sealed the victory by scoring on a 14-yard run five minutes into the fourth quarter. Henry, with a 4-yard run, and Rian Lindell, with a 20-yard field goal, gave Buffalo a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter.

Bledsoe was efficient, finishing 19-of-26 for 249 yards – not bad considering the Bills were minus their leading receiver, Eric Moulds, who missed his second straight game with a groin injury.

The Bills’ defense was also stout, limiting the Redskins to a mere 169 yards.

The Redskins’ difficulty on offense came in part because they were missing starting running back Trung Canidate (sprained right ankle). It didn’t help that backup Ladell Betts hurt his left forearm and didn’t return for the second half.

The Redskins also had an error-filled first half.

Washington’s best drive of the half ended at the 2-inch line when offensive lineman Derrick Dockery, pulling across the middle, tapped the ball out of Ramsey’s hands. The ball was recovered by Buffalo’s Lawyer Milloy.

The string of errors continued on Washington’s next possession, with Ramsey fumbling twice on a single play. After fumbling the snap, Ramsey picked the ball up but had it stripped from behind by Buffalo’s Jeff Posey.

That fumble was recovered for a 4-yard gain by Laveranues Coles.

Redskins defensive end Bruce Smith had a solid outing in his first game at Buffalo since leaving the Bills in 1999 after 15 seasons. Despite getting several shots at Bledsoe, Smith failed to get a sack, leaving him two shy of breaking Reggie White’s NFL career record.

AP-ES-10-19-03 1947EDT