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ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- With quarterback Tyrod Taylor leading the way, the Buffalo Bills believe they are back in playoff contention. Taylor accounted for four touchdowns and engineered a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter to lead the Buffalo Bills to a 30-21 victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
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Taylor was 11 for 21 passing for 211 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 28 yards and another score as the Bills (6-6) snapped a two-game losing streak to help their playoff chances.
Taylor also extended his streak without an interception to 187 attempts, a Bills record.
"He's legit," Bills coach Rex Ryan said. "He's for real, and people are starting to realize that."
Tight end Charles Clay caught the go-ahead 40-yard touchdown pass with 1:53 remaining, making it 27-21 before Dan Carpenter's point-after try hit the left upright and was no good. Carpenter would make a 36-yard field goal with 59 seconds remaining.
Wide receiver Sammy Watkins caught three passes for 109 yards and a touchdown, running back LeSean McCoy rushed for 112 yards, and wide receiver Robert Woods also caught a touchdown pass for the Bills, who improved to .500 or better after 12 games for the sixth time in the 16 seasons since they last made the playoffs.
Two of Buffalo's losses came when Taylor was out with a knee injury. So the Bills are confident they can be a winning team when Taylor is at the helm.
"He's our leader," Watkins said. "He's our quarterback. He's the guy we're rolling with. He's getting better every week leading this team."
"His work ethic is second to none," Clay said. "I don't think I've ever seen somebody with the work ethic that guy has."
Quarterback Brian Hoyer completed 26 of 43 passes for 293 yards and three touchdowns for the Texans (6-6), who had a four-game winning streak snapped and weakened their own position in the tight AFC wild-card race.
Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins caught five passes for 88 yards and set a franchise record with his 10th touchdown reception of the season. But the Bills neutralized Houston's star defensive end J.J. Watt, who was held without a sack for the first time in six games.
"The offense played well," Watt said. "We didn't do enough on defense."
The Texans tied the game at 21-21 with 9:21 left in the fourth quarter when Hoyer threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Hopkins and Jonathan Grimes converted the 2-point run. Hopkins caught three passes for 71 yards on the scoring drive.
"When it's 21-21, you have to find ways to win the game," Hoyer said. "We did a good job continuing to fight and I give them credit, they stopped us when they needed to. For us, we just need to do a better job at finding a way to win."
Buffalo had a chance to make it a two-score game late in the third quarter when Watkins made his second 53-yard catch of the game, but Carpenter's 50-yard field-goal attempt bounced off the left upright.
The Bills scored three first-half touchdowns against a Texans defense that had allowed just two touchdowns over its previous four games and took a 21-13 lead into halftime.
Taylor found Watkins in the corner of the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown on the Bills' opening series, and Taylor scored on an 8-yard read-option run on the first play of the second quarter.
After connecting with Watkins for a 53-yard gain, Taylor threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Woods with 30 seconds left in the half.
The Texans responded to the Bills' opening touchdown with an 80-yard scoring drive. Hoyer caught the Bills' defense off-guard during a substitution, snapping the ball quickly and hitting tight end Ryan Griffin for an 8-yard touchdown play. Nick Novak missed the ensuing extra point.
Houston made it 14-13 with 3:57 left in the first half when running back Chris Polk took a short pass from Hoyer and ran over Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore on his way to an 11-yard touchdown reception.
NOTES: Bills CB Stephon Gilmore left the game in the third quarter with a shoulder injury and did not return. To that point, Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins had one reception for 6 yards. ... Texans RG Brandon Brooks was transported to a local hospital before the game due to an illness. Oday Aboushi started in place of Brooks. ... Bills rookie LB Tony Steward made his first career start in place of the injured Nigel Bradham (ankle), but left the game in the second quarter with a back injury. ... Bills RB LeSean McCoy was evaluated for a possible concussion in the third quarter, but returned to the game. ... The Texans are 0-6 this season when allowing 10 or more points in the first half. ... The Bills are 6-0 this season when attempting fewer than 30 passes.
