Making his first start of the season, the former Heisman Trophy winner produced the magic that many football fans have come to expect with an unlikely comeback that set up a 52-yard overtime field goal for Denver (2-4) and left Miami winless (0-6).
"(This win) means a lot but its one win and we have got to get better and improve," said Tebow, who was sacked seven times in the win. "As a footballer and an athlete you can't lose confidence in yourself. If you do, you've lost already."
Injuries and poor performances prompted many NFL teams to reshuffle the quarterback deck but there were no thoughts of change in Green Bay as Aaron Rodgers had another brilliant game tossing three touchdown passes in the Packers' 33-27 win over the Minnesota Vikings (1-6).
Rookie Christian Ponder made his first career start for the Vikings in place of the inconsistent Donovan McNabb and showed plenty of promise. Ponder threw a pair of touchdowns but could not get the better of the Super Bowl champions, who improved to 7-0 and remain the NFL's only unbeaten team.
John Beck, making his first NFL start in four years for the Washington Redskins (3-3), had little to celebrate as the Carolina Panthers (2-5) romped to a 33-20 win while former Pro Bowler Carson Palmer had trouble shaking off the rust in his first appearance in an Oakland Raiders uniform.
Palmer, who refused to report to the Cincinnati Bengals all season, was traded to the Raiders (4-3) earlier in the week and will need more time to adjust as he threw interceptions in a 28-0 shellacking by the Kansas City Chiefs (3-3).
"I was excited to be playing again but with such a limited playbook when I'm in the game and little to no experience with the receivers it de finitely is an uncomfortable situation to be in," said Palmer about his debut. "But it's a good situation to get your feet wet.
"It's been awhile since I played football that to get the few reps that I got under my belt when it's live action and the bullets start flying is really going to help me when we have Denver coming in two weeks."
PACKED WEMBLEY
The Detroit Lions (5-2) could also be looking at bringing in a backup under center next week as Matthew Stafford limped off the field with an apparent ankle injury in a 23-16 loss to the Atlanta Falcons (4-3).
In London, the focus was on elusive running back Matt Forte who scampered for 145 yards and a touchdown as the Chicago Bears (4-3) stopped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3) 24-18 in front of an packed house a Wembley Stadium.
On the other side of the Atlantic, however, the football spotlight was firmly focused on Miami and Tebow's much hyped return to the same stadium where he led the University of Florida to a national title in 2009.
Tebow's homecoming looked to be an unmitigated disaster as Miami built a 15-0 lead and the Denver quarterback struggled, completing just three of eight pass attempts for 24 yards through three quarters.
But Tebow, taking over from an ineffective Kyle Orton, proved his doubters wrong by firing two touchdown passes in the final three minutes of the fourth quarter then charging across for a two-point convert to force overtime.
Mark Sanchez, another quarterback under attack by the media, silenced his critics by tossing three touchdown passes to wide receiver Plaxico Burress as the New York Jets (4-3) rallied for a 27-21 win over the San Diego Chargers (4-2).
Burress, back in the NFL after serving a 20-month prison sentence on gun charges, was Sanchez's go-to man as the Jets struck for 17 unanswered second half points to improve to 4-3 and get back in the fight for top spot in the AFC East.
Dallas Cowboys (3-3) quarterback Tony Romo likely silenced some of his critics after throwing for 166 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-7 win over the St. Louis Rams (0-6), who were forced to go with backup A.J. Feely after Sam Bradford was ruled out with an ankle injury.
Ben Roethlisberger threw for three touchdowns as the Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) began to hit their stride with a 32-20 pounding of the Arizona Cardinals (1-5) for their third consecutive win.
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