HOUSTON – David Carr put together a huge comeback of his own after Brett Favre showed him how to do it last week.

Carr threw for 201 yards and two touchdowns and Domanick Davis rushed for a season-high 129 yards and a score to help the Houston Texans rally from an 18-point deficit in a 31-21 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

After allowing Favre and the Green Bay Packers to come back from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter for a win last week, Carr and the Texans staged an impressive imitation in rallying from the largest deficit in franchise history for a victory.

The Texans (5-6) ended a three-game losing streak and, perhaps most importantly to their fans, swept the season series from the team they replaced in Houston. Titans owner Bud Adams, who moved the Houston Oilers to Tennessee in 1996, took in the defeat from a luxury suite in the stadium Houston wouldn’t build for him.

Houston also tied its win total from last season in its 11th game, a clear improvement for the third-year team.

The Titans (4-7) dropped into sole possession of last place in the AFC South, likely ending their slim playoff hopes much earlier than expected.

Tennessee wasted a brilliant first-half performance from Steve McNair.

McNair completed his first seven passes for 80 yards, including a couple of touchdown throws to Erron Kinney to give Tennessee a 14-0 lead. He added another touchdown pass to Derrick Mason early in the second quarter, increasing the Titans’ lead to 21-3.

Carr had an interception on his first pass attempt of the game, throwing right to Titans safety Scott McGarrahan, drawing a chorus of boos from the normally patient Houston crowd.

Those boos got even louder when Kris Brown’s 41-yard field goal attempt was blocked at the end of the first half, yet another blunder in two quarters full of them for the Texans.

Carr had the fans on their feet thanks to his masterpiece in the third quarter.

After Houston recovered McNair’s fumbled snap on third-and-1 from the Titans 26, Carr threw his second touchdown pass of the quarter to Andre Johnson to put the Texans on top 24-21. Carr completed all nine of his pass attempts for 83 yards in the quarter.

McNair had another big mistake as the Titans attempted to rally, fumbling after Antwan Peek hit him from his blindside on third-and-10 from the Houston 13. Kailee Wong recovered the ball, snuffing out what could have been a chip-shot, game-tying field goal attempt.

The Titans still had a chance to tie the game. In a situation eerily similar to the Texans’ collapse against Favre, McNair was driving the Titans down the field with about two minutes left in the game.

But Houston came up with the key defensive stop they didn’t get against Green Bay: Texans safety Marlon McCree picked off McNair with 1:47 left, setting off a wild celebration on the Houston sideline.

Davis sealed the victory with a 41-yard touchdown run down the middle of the field, his longest rush of the year. Davis had his best game of the year, adding seven reception for 52 yards.

McNair finished 25-of-34 for 227 yards and three touchdowns with one interception in only his second start since a bruised sternum caused him to miss most of the previous four weeks.

AP-ES-11-28-04 1643EST