TAMPA, Fla. — Warrick Dunn stared straight ahead, searching for words to explain how the Tampa Bay Buccaneers let a promising season slip away with a December swoon that left them out of the playoffs.

"There's disbelief. There's shock. There's emotions, I'm sure, that I can't really describe," the veteran running back said yesterday after the team's fourth consecutive loss, 31-24 to the Oakland Raiders, completed the biggest collapse in franchise history.

"To be 9-3, and you lose four in a row when all you have to do is win one and you're in, it's tough to swallow. The guys in this locker room have prepared hard, played hard. Things haven't gone our way."

Michael Bush rushed for a career-high 177 yards and scored on a 67-yard fourth-quarter jaunt, helping the Raiders (5-11) overcome a 10-point deficit and make their final case for interim coach Tom Cable retaining his job.

Tampa Bay (9-7) was tied for first place in the NFC South heading into December but was outscored 62-19 in the fourth quarter and overtime of losses to Carolina, Atlanta, San Diego and Oakland down the stretch.

"It's very disappointing. ... I'm sick for our players, and our fans, more than anything," Bucs coach Jon Gruden said.

Losses to the Panthers and Falcons ended realistic hopes of repeating as division champions. More puzzling, though, were setbacks the past two weeks at home — where the Bucs were 6-0 before this month — against teams with losing records.

"I know we let down a lot of people ... and we apologize for that," quarterback Jeff Garcia said. "We, as a team, are better than what we have put on the field in the last four weeks."

It's certainly not the way Tampa Bay's normally reliable defense wanted to go out under longtime defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, who's leaving to join his son, Lane, at the University of Tennessee.

Oakland fired Lane Kiffin as its coach four games into this season, replacing him with Cable, who has won two straight and is 4-8 since taking over.

"It's all I can do. It's the best I can do," Cable said. "I want to be the head coach of the Raiders, but it's not in my hands. But I certainly know I put this team together and got it going in the right direction, and today proved that."

Tampa Bay went up 24-14 with a field goal and touchdown in the first four minutes of the fourth period.

But Oakland quarterback JaMarcus Russell responded.

A 43-yard pass interference penalty led to Russell's 12-yard TD pass to Johnnie Lee Higgins that trimmed Oakland's deficit to 24-21.

Bush later slipped through the grasp of would-be tacklers on a 67-yard TD burst, and carried repeatedly on the Raiders' next possession to burn the clock and set up Sebastian Janikowski's 25-yard field goal that made it 31-24 with 1:09 to go.

TEXANS 31, BEARS 24

HOUSTON — Chicago's playoff chances ended against a team long eliminated from postseason contention.

The Bears (9-7) needed a win to keep any postseason hopes alive. The Vikings beat the Giants to take the NFC North title, and Chicago needed a win and losses or ties by Dallas and Tampa Bay.

They blew a 10-0 lead.

"Our team failed today," Bears coach Lovie Smith said. "Overall our team didn't play well enough ... this year to accomplish our goals. It's kind of as simple as that."

Andre Johnson had two touchdowns for the Texans, who finished 8-8 for the second straight year.

Johnson had touchdown catches of 43 and 3 yards, and rebounded from last week's two-catch performance with 10 receptions for 148 yards.

It was his NFL-record seventh game this season with at least 10 catches and his eighth 100-yard game. His 1,575 yards this season are the most for a receiver since 2003.

"It was a real big game," Johnson said. "We were playing against a good football team that had a lot at stake. We knew what they were trying to do."