Many pro football experts still aren't close to convinced that Tim Tebow is a legitimate NFL starting quarterback. It turns out you don't have to be one to make the Houston Texans look silly, stupid and sad.

The Texans turned Tebow into Saint Comeback, allowing the often doubted and dismissed devout Heisman Trophy winner to erase a 17-0 Houston lead with a 24-point second half that often defied belief. Even if you've watched the Texans (5-10) all year. Tebow marched the Broncos down the field again and again with an array of short passes and bubble screens that somehow turned into long gains, a few well-placed bombs and several scrambles on the game-stealing drive that hadn't worked all afternoon.

Broncos 24, Texans 23. From up more than two touchdowns to another loss — one that suddenly makes one wonder if Houston coach Gary Kubiak will even be able to make it to Tuesday with his job.

The game ended with another loss-sealing interception from Texans quarterback Matt Schaub (23-for-33 for 310 yards) — this one bouncing off the helmet of Broncos safety Brian Dawkins near the line of scrimmage and landing into the arms cornerback Syd'Quan Thompson, a play that would be considered a completely absurd stroke of misfortune for any other team, but one that fits right in with the Texans 2010 season.

Tebow — the quarterback who isn't supposed to be able to throw — threw for more than 300 yards against the Texans, completing 16-of-29 passes and completely dominating the fourth quarter. When he rolled right and scrambled back left for the touchdown that put Denver up 24-23 with 3:02 left, suddenly everyone was a believer.

Even if it was just in the Texans' fate and incredible feats of losing.

Kicker Neil Rackers — one of the few offseason decisions that went right for the Texans in 2010 (remember when Kris Brown was Houston's big problem?) — hit not one, but two, field goals of more than 50 yards (54- and 57-yard dead-eye wallops) in the third quarter when the Broncos first started mounting a comeback at the new Mile High stadium (officially hideously named Invesco Field at Mile High). But Schaub never gave Rackers a chance to attempt a game winner.

This game came down to harassing Mr. Perfect for the Texans early — and not bothering him late.

Tebow put a ton of yards against Houston's no-cover secondary, hitting several long throws among his predictable array of short passes (one of the tiny throws did turn into a 23-yard Correll Buckhalter touchdown that pulled Denver within six with more than 10 minutes remaining). But the Texans defense completely eliminated Tebow's impact in the running game — holding the mobile quarterback to four yards rushing through the game's first 53 minutes — until it truly counted.

Then, with the game on the line, Tebow ran three times for 23 yards, including the decisive 6-yard touchdown, in one drive.

"Things weren't going well for us early," Tebow said in his postgame press conference. "But we kept fighting, kept believing in each other."

Many of the Texans joked about Tebow — one of the most popular figures in the NFL in large part because of the devout evangelical Christian background he never failed to mention in his dominant college days at Florida — being a saint in the days leading up to the game.

But Tebow was anything but divine on the Broncos' first possession. With Denver inside Houston's 15-yard line, Tebow threw a pass for Brandon Lloyd in the end zone that was easily intercepted by cornerback Jason Allen.

Soon after, the Texans offense shifted into a high gear — finding a level it seldom has in any first half. When Foster ripped off a 35-yard run through a huge hole on the right side and scampered three yards into the end zone on the very next play, Houston held a 7-0 lead. It would become 14-0 after Jones turned a short slant into a long gain and dove to catch a deep ball on back-to-back impact plays of his own.

Schaub was rolling, going 7-for-7 and 10-for-12 passing in one stretch. Arian Foster (19 carries for 91 yards) was averaging more than five yards a carry. Even with all-everything receiver Andre Johnson finally sitting out to rest his battered ankle, Jacoby Jones (five catches for 115 yards) was making big plays while tight end Owen Daniels (eight catches for 73 yards) was racking up important possession yards underneath. The lead grew to 17-0 and when the Broncos finally scored early in the second half, Rackers hit a 54-yard field goal to give Houston a little more breathing room at 20-7.

The Texans finally played like who people thought they were early in the season in a first half for once.

Of course, it happened with any playoff chances long since squashed against a Denver team (4-11) that was only trying to avoid setting a franchise record for losses. And it once again didn't last.

This will be a game that's used to build the myth — and sell more T-shirts and souvenirs — of Tim Tebow. But, it's hard to really say if confounding the Texans truly counts for anything.