The Associated Press

OAKLAND, Calif. - Earlier in the season, Rich Gannon reacted to the Oakland Raiders' struggles by screaming at his teammates and coaches.

When the Raiders were minutes away from another loss Sunday, Gannon kept quiet and played like the league MVP he is.

Sebastian Janikowski made a 46-yard field goal with 5:01 left in overtime as Gannon rallied the Raiders from a 14-point deficit late in regulation for a 34-31 win over the San Diego Chargers.

The victory could breathe life into the AFC champion Raiders (2-2), who were unimpressive in their first three games as well as in the first 54 minutes of this one. After struggling to execute all afternoon, the Raiders' offense came alive in the final six minutes of regulation for two scores.

"Rich did this, and we all helped," said center Barret Robbins, who returned to the lineup. "That's why he's the most valuable player of this league. You could sense a calm feeling out there. We were going to get it done."

After another bad start, Gannon finished 26-of-43 for 348 yards and three touchdowns.

"I thought we had a good plan and did a good job executing," Gannon said. "We've gone through some adversity. Hopefully, this is a way to shake ourselves out of it. This is a veteran team that's always done a good job with adversity. I'm not saying we're out of the woods yet, but this is a good step."

Gannon audibled a 36-yard TD pass to Alvis Whitted, capping a 60-yard drive that pulled the Raiders within 31-24 with 4:38 left. Oakland's defense forced a punt, and Gannon found Jerry Rice twice before Charlie Garner rolled through the San Diego defense on a draw for a 24-yard score, tying it with 1:24 left.

After San Diego's second overtime punt, Gannon hit Rice for a 29-yard gain on Oakland's first play. Gannon moved the Raiders from their 8 to the San Diego 28, where Janikowski's kick won it.

LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for 187 yards and also threw a touchdown pass to Drew Brees, but the Chargers (0-4) wasted a golden opportunity for their first win in regulation since last Oct. 13. San Diego lost its eighth straight dating back to last season.

"We thought we had it," Tomlinson said. "I guess they showed why they went to the Super Bowl last year. They know how to win games, and we don't."

Houston 24, Jacksonville 20

HOUSTON - Dom Capers decided the game was going to end in 2 seconds. David Carr made it the right choice.

Down by three with the ball inside the Jacksonville 1-yard-line, Capers kept the Texans' offense on the field rather than send the game into overtime with a short field goal. Carr took the snap and immediately stretched the ball over the goal line as time expired for a 24-20 Houston victory.

"When I saw how close we were, I thought, 'Let's go for it. Let's try to win the game and end this thing right now,' " Capers said.

The Texans (2-2) had to wait a few anxious moments while officials reviewed whether Carr got the ball over the line before it was swatted away.

"You go on instincts," Capers said. "If we don't make that, you guys are asking me about it for the next year. I had a gut feeling."

The play sent Jacksonville to 0-4, its worst start since the franchise's inaugural year in 1995.

Byron Leftwich, making his first start in relief of an injured Mark Brunell, was 17-of-36 for 231 yards, one TD and three interceptions. Carr finished 23-of-36 for 234 yards.

Titans 30, Steelers 13

PITTSBURGH - Nobody beats the Pittsburgh Steelers more consistently than the Tennessee Titans. Nobody plays better against them than Steve McNair.

McNair, again nearly mistake-free and opportunistic against the team he dominates like no other, threw three touchdown passes following Steelers mistakes and Tennessee beat Pittsburgh for the third time in less than a year.

The Steelers led 10-0 before the Titans had a first down, but three costly mistakes by quarterback Tommy Maddox were turned into Titans' scores. Backup linebacker Rocky Boiman returned a Maddox interception 59 yards for a touchdown and sacked Maddox for a safety that started Tennessee's comeback.

McNair threw touchdown passes of 10 yards to Drew Bennett, 1 to Erron McKinney and 29 to Justin McCareins.

McNair, 15-of-16 for 161 yards, is 10-3 against the Steelers, throwing 19 touchdown passes and only four interceptions. Maddox finished 31-of-47, 315 yards in the loss.

Chiefs 17, Ravens 10

BALTIMORE - Given a second chance, Dante Hall did what he does best - return a kick for a touchdown.

Hall's 97-yard kickoff return with 5:08 left kept Kansas City unbeaten.

Led by running back Priest Holmes, Kansas City (4-0) came in averaging an NFL-best 37 points per game.

Holmes was held to 90 yards rushing on 22 attempts and the Chiefs' offense produced only 10 points, but on this day Holmes & Co. received plenty of help.

Kansas City intercepted three Kyle Boller passes, and Hall won the game with an electrifying return following one of several Baltimore blunders. It was his third kick return for a touchdown this season, including one last week in Houston.

After the Ravens (2-2) tied it on a touchdown run by Jamal Lewis, who finished with 115 yards rushing, Baltimore pinned the Chiefs inside their 20 on the kickoff.

But the Ravens' Adalius Thomas was called offside, and Hall took the next kickoff all the way, encountering few would-be tacklers.

Boller was 5-for-26 for 140 yards. He was sacked three times.

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