On This Day in Broncos History: December 26

December 26, 2010 - In one of the few bright spots to a disastrous season, the Broncos defeated the visiting Houston Texans 24-23. The Broncos entered the game with a 3-11-0 record. Head coach Josh McDaniels had been fired twenty days earlier. Starting QB Kyle Orton had been benched in favor of backup Tim Tebow for the previous game. The Tebow-led Broncos had fallen to the Oakland Raiders 39-23 the previous week. When Denver fell behind Houston 17-0, fans expected things to go the same way.

Then the Broncos began to inch their way back into the game. RB Correll Buckhalter scored on a 6-yard run in the third quarter to make the score 17-7. Houston answered with a field goal for a 20-7 lead. Denver K Steven Hauschka kicked to 27-yard field goal to narrow the score to 20-10, but the Texans added a field goal of their own for a 23-10 lead at the end of three quarters. In the fourth quarter, the Broncos capped their first possession with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Tebow to Buckhalter. The score now stood at 23-17. After forcing a Houston punt, the Bronco got the ball back with 7:42 left in the game. Tebow led Denver on a 76 yard drive which ended with him scoring on a 6-yard touchdown run to give the Broncos a 24-23 lead. Houston's comeback was ended with an interception at the Denver 25-yard line.