Lions Beat Broncos, 25-20, Thanks To Late Drew Stanton Touchdown

Denver, CO (Sports Network) - Drew Stanton's 25-yard rushing touchdown with just under two minutes remaining lifted the Detroit Lions over the Denver Broncos, 25-20, in the second preseason game for each club at Invesco Field.

Stanton completed 2-of-4 passes for 36 yards and gained 31 yards on the ground for the Lions, who lost 23-7 to the Steelers last week. Starting quarterback Matthew Stafford connected on 13-of-18 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown. Shaun Hill completed 9-of-14 passes for 93 yards.

Rookie running back Jahvid Best rushed for 49 yards on eight carries. Calvin Johnson caught two passes for 34 yards and a score for Detroit, which got four field goals from Steven Hauschka.

Kyle Orton, who signed a contract extension through the 2011 season earlier in the week, connected on 16-of-22 passes for 177 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception for the Broncos, who were coming off a 33-24 loss to the Bengals. Brady Quinn completed 11-of-17 passes for 115 yards.

Tim Tebow, the Broncos' 2010 first-round quarterback choice, was expected to make his live Denver debut. However, he was held out of the game due to a rib injury suffered in the previous game.

The Broncos were without a total of 16 players, including cornerback Champ Bailey, linebacker D.J. Williams, and wide receiver Brandon Stokley.

Jabar Gaffney caught six passes for 98 yards, while Lance Ball and Marquez Branson each had a receiving touchdown. Bruce Hall rushed for 43 yards on five carries.

Trailing 20-19 following Matt Prater's 33-yard field goal, the Lions put together a 10-play drive. Faced with a 3rd-and-4 from the Denver 25, Stanton scrambled up the middle after failing to find an open receiver. Stanton found the end zone to complete the 80-yard march. The two-point conversion failed.

Denver drove down to the Detroit 33 before Quinn fumbled the ball away.

Lions Head To Denver For 2nd Preseason Game

(Sports Network) - Fans will show up at Invesco Field at Mile High hoping to get a glimpse of Tim Tebow on Saturday night, when the Denver Broncos welcome the Detroit Lions to town in the second August tune-up for each team.

Tebow, the Broncos' 2010 first-round quarterback choice, was expected to make his live Denver debut against the Lions. But a wrench was thrown into those plans in last week's 33-24 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, when the former Florida star suffered injured ribs on a touchdown run that have limited him in practice this week.

Tebow completed 8-of-13 passes for 105 yards in Cincinnati, though his biggest highlight came on the seven-yard scoring run in the closing seconds.

Kyle Orton (8-of-13, 84 yards, 2 TD) will start the game for the Broncos, and another Denver newcomer, Brady Quinn (6-of-16, 68 yards, 1 INT), should play as well after struggling in Cincinnati.

In addition to Tebow, the Broncos are contending with injuries to notables such as running backs Knowshon Moreno (hamstring), LenDale White (leg), Correll Buckhalter (neck), and first-round wideout Demaryius Thomas (foot).

With the spate of running back injuries, recently-signed ex-Raider Justin Fargas could be in line for a wealth of carries on Saturday.

The Lions, meanwhile, will be looking for a more consistent effort after opening the preseason with a 23-7 loss at the Steelers last week.

There were encouraging signs from the Detroit first-string, including quarterback Matthew Stafford (8-of-11, 61 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) - who threw a touchdown pass to Calvin Johnson - and from rookie running back Jahvid Best (6 rushes, 29 yards).

Three Lions newcomers - recently-acquired defensive end Lawrence Jackson (ex- Seahawks), cornerback T.J. Rushing (ex-Colts), and kicker Steven Hauschka (ex- Ravens and Falcons) - could all be in uniform for Detroit on Saturday.

The all-time preseason series between the Lions and Broncos is knotted, 2-2, with Detroit evening the series by virtue of a 20-13 home victory in the last such meeting, prior to the 2006 season.

The most recent meaningful matchup between the teams took place during the 2007 regular season, a 44-7 Lions rout at Ford Field.

NFL Preseason, Lions At Broncos: Smith, Pettigrew, Levy, Delmas Not Ruled Out

The Lions have released the list of players who have already been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Broncos, and interestingly both Kevin Smith and Brandon Pettigrew are absent from the list. That doesn't guarantee that they will play, but it means that it's possible Smith and Pettigrew will make their preseason debuts and play in their first game since suffering ACL injuries last season.

Here is the full list of players ruled out for Sunday's game:

• DE Jared DeVries (knee)
• DE Lawrence Jackson (just joined the team)
• CB Aaron Berry (hamstring)
• CB Jonathan Wade (broken finger)
• CB Jack Williams (knee and still on the PUP list)

In addition to Smith and Pettigrew, Louis Delmas and DeAndre Levy were also not ruled out of Saturday's game. Again, though, that doesn't mean they will actually play. It's possible that Levy could see some action, but I would be surprised if Delmas got on the field.