NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Matt Schaub threw for 357 yards and four touchdowns, and Kris Brown kicked a 23-yard field goal in the closing minutes to help the Houston Texans ruin the Titans' home opener with a 34-31 victory Sunday.

The Texans (1-1) won their first game in the month of September since Sept. 16, 2007, while the Titans (0-2) are skidding a different direction after starting 10-0 last season.

After Brown kicked the go-ahead field goal with 2:55 left, the defending AFC South champs had one last chance — until Kerry Collins dropped the ball with 1:32 left and Jeff Zgonina recovered for Houston.

That ruined a career day from the Titans' Chris Johnson, who scored three touchdowns and ran for 197 yards. Johnson also had 87 yards receiving.

The game was a shootout with the score tied four different times — and a slugfest with Titans defensive tackle Jason Jones ejected for throwing a punch in a sideline scrum in the fourth quarter.

Houston sacked Collins once and intercepted him once. But Collins bobbled the ball all by himself trying to help the Titans answer back. The Texans earned their second straight victory — and just fourth overall — over the team they replaced in Houston.

Tennessee kept Steve Slaton from reaching 100 yards on its defense for a third straight game, holding him to 34 yards on 17 carries. But the Titans couldn't get to Schaub enough, and he repeatedly found open receivers downfield. Schaub threw two TDs to Pro Bowler Andre Johnson and was 25-of-39 as Houston looked like the offense that was the NFL's third-best in 2008.

The Titans outgained Houston 449-420 but couldn't move the ball when it mattered most in the fourth quarter.

They thought they had come up with a big turnover when Jacoby Jones bobbled a punt off his chest and rookie Jason McCourty recovered in the air inside the Texans 10 at the end of the third quarter. But Jones had signaled for a fair catch, and with the ball bouncing off his chest, officials ruled interference and gave the ball to Houston.

That brought fans to their feet, furious. Almost unnoticed was punter Craig Hentrich hurting his left leg on the play, and he had to be helped off.

Tennessee forced Houston to go three-and-out. With Hentrich the holder on field goals, that might be why the Titans went for it on fourth-and-6. Collins' pass to Justin Gage was caught out of bounds.

The Titans had to punt midway through the fourth deep in their own end, and kicker Rob Bironas came through with a 40-yard punt.

Schaub responded with a nine-play drive over 63 yards in which he converted a fourth-and-inches by running himself. Then Brown's field goal gave Houston a lead it wouldn't lose again.

The Titans threatened to blow Houston out of the stadium early, jumping ahead 21-7 after Chris Johnson scored 57 yards up the left sideline untouched on third-and-19. Then Collins tossed a short pass to Johnson, who lined up out left and was waving for the ball he was so open. No one came close as he went 69 yards, and he added a 91-yard TD in the third.

But Houston, embarrassed in a 24-7 loss to the New York Jets at home in the opener, bounced back with 17 straight points.