HOUSTON AP) - The Texans are the NFL's most penalized team and penalties cost them a victory Sunday against Buffalo.

Back-to-back major penalties at a key moment in the fourth quarter helped the Bills overcome a Houston lead and propel Buffalo to a 31-24 win.

"The most frustrating thing to me about today's performance was the penalties," coach Dom Capers said. "You've got to keep your poise and your composure."

Linebacker Jay Foreman's personal foul for taunting was particularly crucial.

The Texans (1 (4)- had just scored with 14:10 left in the game, taking a 24-17 lead on a halfback pass from James Allen to tight end Billy Miller and the Houston defense on the ensuing series had stopped the Bills 3 (3)- on third down at the Buffalo 34 when Foreman lost his cool.

"I take full responsiblity," Foreman said. "I shouldn't have done that. I'm not even that kind of person or player... I don't know what happened and I don't know why. I still can't believe it. That was a selfish play. I feel real bad."

Instead of punting on fourth down, the Bills got a free 15 yards and a first down on the Buffalo 49.

"The last two weeks we've had 56 guys working hard and then a stupid bonehead play on my part helps them score and that's the touchdown that ties it," Foreman said. "It was a big point in the game. We'd stopped them finally on third down. It was stupid."

Then on the next play, Foreman got called for another personal foul and another 15 yards for grabbing the face mask of Bills running back Travis Henry. Four plays later, Drew Bledsoe connected with Eric Moulds for a 23-yard TD pass.

"I had him by the shoulder pads," Foreman said. "I wasn't trying to be cheap or anything."

It was the first of two touchdown passes in the final 10:39 for Bledsoe, the NFL's leading passer, who got some running help from Henry's 159 yards.

Bledsoe broke the tie with 3:55 remaining with on a 26-yard TD strike to Peerless Price, who caught the ball, did a back-step and ran past safety Matt Stevens.

"We've just got to make sure we continue focused and become a more disciplined team," said Capers, whose team came into Sunday's game with 43 penalties totaling 303 yards, then added another 11 for 75 more yards.

Bledsoe completed 19 of 33 passes for 254 yards, his lowest output of the season. Price led the Bills with eight catches for 121 yards. Moulds didn't catch a pass until the third quarter and finished with four for 56 yards. He caught at least eight passes in each of Buffalo's first five games this season.

The Texans had a chance in the final minute until a fourth-down pass from David Carr to Jermaine Lewis in the end zone was batted away by Antoine Winfield with 35 seconds left.

Carr had directed the Texans to a 17-10 halftime lead, but Bledsoe brought the Bills back in the third quarter. A 23-yard run by Henry, who broke three tackles en route to the end zone, tied it 17-17.

Henry's fumble and a personal foul against Price gave Houston the ball at the Buffalo 8 before Allen's touchdown pass to Miller. It was the first pass thrown by anyone other than Carr this season and Allen's first career attempt.

The Texans were more than equal to Buffalo's offense in the first half. Carr completed a 26-yard touchdown pass to rookie Jabar Gaffney and ran 17 yards for another score, the first TD rushing for Houston this season.

Kris Brown's 26-yard field goal helped the Texans lead 17-10 at the half.

After a slow start, Bledsoe got the Bills going in the second quarter. Mike Hollis kicked a 33-yard field goal and a 35-yard pass to Price set up Henry's 1-yard TD run.

Carr and Corey Bradford attacked the Bills from the opening drive with an 81-yard pass play to the Buffalo 9. Bradford got a step on safety Pierson Prioleau, who caught Bradford from behind. The catch was the longest in Bradford's career and the third-longest by an expansion team. Kris Brown then kicked a 26-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.

"We had a shot at it," said Carr, who completed 12 of 23 pass attempts for 218 yards. He also was sacked five times for 26 yards in losses. "I think our whole team offensively probably played out best game. There was no indecision... We just came up short at the end. We were in position to win the football game."

"What is going to disappoint us is to know we took ourselves out of it," said safety Eric Brown. "Things that we did made it possible or them to win. That's what hurts."