NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -The Tennessee Titans are making extraordinary finishes routine.

Trailing by 21 with 10 minutes left? Score 24 and beat the New York Giants.

Stuck at midfield against Peyton Manning and Indianapolis? Kick a game-winning 60-yard field goal - something that had happened only twice before in NFL history.

Struggle to take the lead in the fourth quarter only to watch the home team retake the momentum with a field goal to force overtime? Watch rookie Vince Young beat the blitz and run 39 yards - on third-and-14, no less.

``I've never heard of a walk-off touchdown, but that's what it was,'' Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck said.

The three improbable and unique comebacks have the Titans enjoying their best season since 2003 at 6-7 - more than they won in either of the past two seasons. Their four-game winning streak is their best since 2002, when they played their way into the AFC championship game.

Coach Jeff Fisher would love to see his Titans take control of a game from the start and finish off a victory in conventional fashion. That is the goal.

``But it's not easy. To some teams out there, to the San Diegos and maybe the Baltimores of the world, you can do that. As far as we're concerned, we're going to need a break here and there, and we got one,'' Fisher said Monday.

Houston's David Anderson pushed the ball out of bounds with 2:09 left in regulation after the Texans tied it at 20. The Texans kicked to the sideline to avoid Adam ``Pacman'' Jones, and Ahmard Hall couldn't control it. The Titans wound up with the ball and went three-and-out.

Craig Hentrich's punt was downed at the Houston 7, and the Texans ran out the final 53 seconds to go into overtime. The Titans won the coin toss for the second time in the game with defensive tackle Robaire Smith calling heads after going for tails at the start.

With Jones returning the kickoff 36 yards to the Titans 43, Tennessee went downfield in seven plays - the last on Young's TD run when he had coaches just hoping he picked up enough yards to kick a field goal.

Instead, they won their first overtime game since January 2004 in the playoffs against Pittsburgh.

This streak is unexpected from a franchise that has been able to come back consistently. They didn't do it once last season when they had Steve McNair and were 8-41 dating to 1999 before this run.

A big key is the rookie quarterback who came to the NFL having lost only twice in college at Texas, and Young quickly made it clear he wasn't used to losing. Now he is 6-4 as a starter and has either run or thrown for a touchdown in each of his 10 starts.

``Everything I saw him do in college, I've seen him do on this level,'' Bulluck said.

He tops himself almost every time he touches the ball. He ran for 24 yards in the first quarter Sunday for his longest run, then turned in his amazing 39-yard TD sprint in overtime. He still is off-target with his arm, but he also perfectly placed a career-best 39-yard pass to Drew Bennett.

The best sign of Young's growing maturity was holding in his emotions until he had won the game.

``He understands if you get caught up in those things during the week that's going to take away from what you're trying to accomplish,'' Fisher said.

Behind all the highlight plays is the Titans' biggest motivation. With three games left, at least they remain mathematically alive for a playoff berth - no matter how impossible that math is. They trail five teams by at least one game and are tied with three others at 6-7.

``We haven't fallen down in that column that says you have been eliminated. That's a tough place to be, and that's a place where we've been the last couple of years at the end,'' Fisher said. ``They're fighting and scratching to stay out of that, and that says a lot for them.''

Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.