HOUSTON – OK, so there’s no such thing as a moral victory in the NFL. Got it.

But what about a quality loss?

Because while the final scoreboard showed the Raiders on the wrong end of a 23-21 game at the Texans on Sunday, there were a lot of good things that went down for the Silver and Black inside NRG Stadium.

And that’s not to discount the Raiders dropping their ninth straight game to fall to 2-13 on the season (more on that in a moment).

For one, Ashton Jeanty had a monster game, the rookie running back looking like the guy the Raiders thought they were drafting at No. 6 overall.

For another, the defense flew all over the field and, oftentimes, made life miserable for Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud.

But perhaps most importantly, a week after suffering their second 31-0 defeat of the season, a game in which the Raiders showed nary a pulse at the Eagles, the Raiders actually (wait for it) competed.

And against the best defense in the NFL.

How bad had it been of late?

When the Raiders went up, 14-13, at Houston on Jeanty’s eye-popping 60-yard catch-and-run TD down the left sideline and Daniel Carlson’s ensuing PAT at the 9:44 mark of the third quarter, it was the first time the Raiders led in a game since…

Entering the second quarter.

At home against the Cowboys.

Yes, that oft-extolled maxim of embattled coach Pete Carroll – Compete! – came to life as the Raiders showed heart on the same field the franchise had one of its most heart-wrenching moments – the Divine Interception, Michael Huff’s game-clinching pick in the end zone when the Raiders only had 10 players on the field, the day after Al Davis passed away.

Yeah, these Raiders showed heart, albeit in a loss.

“I think we [just] ran out of time,” said the Raiders equally-embattled quarterback, Geno Smith, who, despite throwing his NFL-leading 15th interception, a pick-six no less, had his best game since the season opener.

“Obviously, we want to win games. We don’t want to just come close. I’ve never been the guy who just said, ‘Oh, man, we came close, that’s great.’ That’s not enough. But, [I’m] really happy with the effort of the guys.”

What wasn’t to like, besides the final score, of course (yes, I know that’s why they play the game)?