Lions score 17 late, stun Dolphins

Just call him the comeback kid.

Tim Tebow rallied the Denver Broncos past the Houston Texans, 24-23, yesterday when he scored on a 6-yard scramble with three minutes left in his first home start, capping a comeback from a 17-point halftime deficit.

Tebow threw for 308 yards and a TD as the Broncos (4-11) avoided a franchise-record 12th loss and won for the first time since Nov. 14.

Matt Schaub was driving the Texans (5-10) for a go-ahead score when Syd'Quan Thompson picked off a pass deflected by Justin Bannan at the Broncos' 27 with just over a minute left.

Lions 34, Dolphins 27

Visiting Detroit's players swapped back slaps and handshakes. Players checked their cell phones for congratulatory text messages. The visiting locker room at the Dolphins' stadium has been in party mode most of the season.

The road team won again Sunday, when the Lions came up with two interceptions to score 17 points in the final 4:37 and stun the Dolphins, who led 24-14 with five minutes left. Jahvid Best's 53-yard TD and Dave Rayner's 47-yard field goal after an interception of Dolphins QB Chad Henne tied the score at 24 with 2:44 left.

Henne then threw another INT as Davone Bess fell as the ball arrived, and DeAndre Levy grabbed it, then zigzagged 30 yards to the end zone for Detroit's third score in less than 2 1/2 minutes. Miami (7-8), eliminated from the playoff race last week, finished 1-7 at home.

The Lions (5-10) extended their winning streak to three games, impressive for a team that hadn't won even two in a row since 2007. "We're obviously not going to the Super Bowl," said tight end Brandon Pettigrew, who caught a TD. "We just want to get it done and lay a foundation for next year."

Said the Dolphins' Vontae Davis, "The Detroit Lions? . . . They shouldn't come in and win this game. We've got way more talent." - AP