OAKLAND, Calif. -- Johnnie Lee Higgins is the most unpredictable player on the Oakland Raiders’ infuriating roster.  Each time he takes the field to return a punt or run a pass route, he seems equally likely to make a breathtaking move or a boneheaded mistake.

Even so, the Houston Texans never could have anticipated what this native East Texan did to their dreams of a winning season.

Higgins caught a 29-yard touchdown pass from JaMarcus Russell and returned a punt 80 yards for another score in the third quarter of the Raiders’ 27-16 victory over Houston on Sunday, putting a rare bit of brightness into another dour season in Oakland.

Though the Raiders (4-11) will head into the offseason with at least 11 losses for an NFL-record sixth consecutive year, they closed their home schedule with an impressive win over a reputable opponent that was ostensibly still playing for something more than pride.

Such a minor success was more than enough to put a smile on the faces of Higgins and Russell, who haven’t done much worth celebrating in their NFL careers.

“A lot of people were counting us out and all this other stuff, but we believed in each other,” said Higgins, who’s from Sweeny, Texas, about 65 miles south of downtown Houston. “We went out and just played, gave it all we got.”

Chaz Schilens also caught a TD pass from Russell, who went 18-of-25 for 236 yards in one of the strongest games in the former No. 1 overall pick’s short career. Higgins has made frequent mistakes in judgment as the Raiders’ top returner this season, but he broke a tie with his gritty TD catch in the middle of the end zone before shredding the Texans’ punt coverage unit just 4:12 later.

Oakland’s offense ended up with a season-high 362 yards, including 93 yards rushing by Justin Fargas and 87 total yards by rookie Darren McFadden. Add in a defense that held Houston’s potent offense to 128 total yards in the second half, and the Raiders had reason for a sliver of optimism heading into the season finale at Tampa Bay.

“You saw a lot of our young players show up and had an impact,” interim coach Tom Cable said. “As I’ve said for a while, that’s the future of our organization and that’s the direction we’re headed. It was a complete victory.”

While the Raiders got encouragement for the future, the Texans (7-8) crashed back into their dismal past just one week after a 13-12 victory over Tennessee, the AFC’s top playoff seed. Although a tough AFC South schedule kept Houston out of the playoff race, the Texans needed this win to have a shot at the club’s first winning record.

Instead, Houston made just enough critical mistakes to lose to one of the NFL’s worst teams, leaving the top Texans scratching their heads at such a lackluster effort.

“It felt like we got punched in the stomach, like we weren’t even looking and somebody punched us,” defensive tackle Travis Johnson said. “I don’t think it was that we were flat. Making mistakes early, we started off on the left foot instead of the right foot. We just made too many mistakes. We weren’t sound in our techniques.”

Kris Brown kicked three field goals for Houston, and fullback Vonta Leach made a 1-yard dive for what turned out to be the Texans’ only touchdown midway through the first quarter. Houston repeatedly moved the ball well, but stalled near the Oakland end zone—a season-long theme that has discouraged quarterback Matt Schaub, who went 19-of-36 for 255 yards.

“I’m very shocked, because we’re a team (that) prides ourselves on being prepared, being ready and making the necessary adjustments throughout the game for what the other team is doing,” Schaub said. “We go out there and execute our plays, and today that wasn’t the case.”

Andre Johnson, who came into the game with an NFL-best 103 catches, managed just two receptions for the Texans, both early in the fourth quarter. Both teams said the Raiders did nothing special on defense against Johnson, but Schaub’s inability to find him was just another symptom of the Texans’ malaise.

“I guess the fire just wasn’t there today,” Johnson said.

“The team was a little flat, and that’s not like us.” Notes:@ Houston LG Chester Pitts got a personal foul in the fourth quarter when he threw a right cross at an Oakland defender after Pitts’ helmet popped off. The penalty short-circuited the Texans’ scoring drive, which ended in Brown’s third field goal with 9:55 left. ... Nnamdi Asomugha, the Raiders’ Pro Bowl-bound cornerback, left the sideline in the second half with a neck injury. ...  Schilens’ TD pass was just the Raiders’ second touchdown on a game-opening drive in the past 65 tries.