ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — If Vince Young keeps this up, the Tennessee Titans just might do the unthinkable and make the playoffs.

The rookie first-round draft pick has the Tennessee Titans (8-7), who started the season with five straight losses, alive in the AFC playoff race entering the final weekend after rallying them to a 30-29 win over the Buffalo Bills yesterday.

The doubters have motivated Young all season long.

"That's all you heard all season, that a rookie's not going to be able to do this and that," Young said. "And I took that as, 'Hey, let's show the world that you can do that.' "

Young threw two touchdown passes and rushed for another to engineer his fourth comeback in the fourth quarter or overtime. This time, he helped Tennessee overcome a 29-20 deficit in the final 12 minutes. After hitting Brandon Jones for a 29-yard touchdown pass, Young engineered a 14-play, 75-yard drive, which Rob Bironas capped with a 30-yard field goal with 2:10 left.

Young's most electrifying play came at the end of the first half, when he scored on a 36-yard keeper on a fourth-and-2.

The loss knocked the Bills out of playoff contention, dropping Buffalo to 7-8.

"This loss really hurts," said linebacker London Fletcher, whose team entered the game having won five of seven. "We had everything fall into place the way you want it to fall. We played a home game in a situation where you have to beat a team. And we just didn't get the job done."

Young, who finished 13 of 20 for 183 yards and added 61 yards rushing, improved to 8-4 as a starter and has led the Titans to six straight wins as they attempt to become the first NFL team to qualify for the playoffs after starting the season 0-5.

Tennessee still needs help, and must win its season finale when it hosts New England next weekend.

"Every week he does something to amaze me," Jones said. "I can't believe some of the things that he does."

The Bills had a chance to pull it out but failed in the final minute.

Facing fourth-and-5 at the Titans 28, J.P. Losman scrambled out of trouble and threw a desperation pass that was intercepted by Reynaldo Hill at the goal line. On the play, the Bills elected against a field goal. They were driving into a wind that was gusting up to 20 mph.

TEXANS 27, COLTS 24

HOUSTON — Ron Dayne had a career-high 153 yards rushing and two touchdowns, and Kris Brown kicked a 48-yard field goal as time expired, lifting Houston to its first win over Indianapolis.

The Texans (5-10) broke a nine-game losing streak to the Colts (11-4) and denied the AFC South champions the chance to clinch a first-round playoff bye.

"It was really disappointing for us not to come through with a win down here," said Colts coach Tony Dungy. "But that's the way everything's been this year."

It was the first time Dayne, released by both the Giants and Broncos before landing in Houston, gained 100 yards since September 2001 with the New York Giants.

"The Texans believed in me and they gave me the opportunity, and I knew I could run the ball," he said. "I'm just trying to take advantage of it each week. When I get the ball I'm going to try to show coach that I want to be here and I want to help this team win."

The loss ruined another record day for Colts quarterback Payton Manning, who set an NFL mark by reaching 4,000 yards passing for the seventh time in his nine-year career. He was 21 of 27 for 205 yards and had three touchdown passes.

RAVENS 31, STEELERS 7

PITTSBURGH — Steve McNair threw three touchdown passes and Baltimore moved ahead in the race for a first-round AFC playoffs bye. They shut down Pittsburgh for the second time in a month and eliminated the defending Super Bowl champions from playoff contention.

The Ravens (12-3) matched a franchise record for victories in a season set by their Super Bowl championship team in 2000 and swept the season series from the despised Steelers (7-8) for the first time since the former Cleveland Browns moved to Baltimore in 1996.

"We're in a prime position to get home-field advantage," linebacker Ray Lewis said. "With the way we're playing defense and the way our offense is clicking, we're going to be a hard team to beat in the playoffs."

With Ben Roethlisberger (156 yards passing, two interceptions) and Willie Parker (29 yards on 13 carries) again having rough afternoons against one of the NFL's top defenses, the Steelers (7-8) became the first Super Bowl champions since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002 to miss the playoffs the following season.