MINNEAPOLIS — Most of these victories only a mother could love.

“Sometimes I just wish Timmy wouldn’t wait so late, but they sure have been exciting.”

So said Pam Tebow, who gave birth to this legend.

“He’s not finished yet,” said the man in the cap emblazoned with No. 15.

Spoken like a true father — Bob Tebow.

The Tebow family and friends gathered around the Broncos quarterback in the cramped hallway after one more exciting game, one more comeback, one more victory achieved late in the fourth quarter or at the end of regulation or in overtime.

The Broncos have trailed in the third or fourth quarters 15-0, 24-14, 13-10, 13-7 and, to the Vikings, 29-21, but won all five.

“I don’t know if we’re thriving on it,” Tim Tebow his own self said. “We would like to be ahead earlier.”

His mother would prefer it too.

The roof on the domed stadium caved in on the Vikings — figuratively this time — Sunday in the 35-32 loss to the Broncos. In the final 8:52, the Broncos scored on a 24-yard touchdown run by Willis McGahee, a two-point conversion run by Tebow and two field goals by Matt Prater, the last dead-solid perfect as time expired.

But this is what the Broncos are — start out slow, fall back, stay close, get back in the game, tie, win. It’s a combination of elite special teams, an exceptional defense bordering on the Broncos’ orange crushness and an offense that’s so conservative it could be called the Broncos’ rush Limbaugh.

“We’ve just got to get it together all at once,” Tebow said.

A major reason the beginnings are slower than a Stieg Larsson novel (with endings as thrilling as a Stieg Larsson novel) is the Broncos don’t know how opposing defenses will choose to defend them. Because the Broncos’ offense is unique for the NFL, “we can’t watch teams’ tapes against it,” coach John Fox said. “We have to make adjustments after we see what they’re going to do.”

The Broncos shed the read-option plays Sunday, used a conventional run offense and additional play-action passing by Tebow, who looked like a normal NFL quarterback. He completed 10-of-15 for 202 yards and two touchdowns to Demaryius Thomas — hello — and ran only four times for 13 yards. “It’s crazy,” Tebow said. “I just try to do what they (the coaches) ask.”

Fox asks the Broncos to win. They are 7-5 and would be included if the postseason began today, but it doesn’t. A month remains.

“That’s nice, but they don’t remember what you did in November. They remember what you did in December, and it’s a nice start. We have to find a way to finish strong,” Tebow said.

As his father said.

Bob and Pam have missed only one of their son’s games (in Oakland). “There were a lot of easier games in college,” Mrs. Tebow said. “There are no easy games in the NFL,” Mr. Tebow said.

Then, a member of the Tebows’ entourage offered: “That’s another accomplishment you can put a check mark next to. They said he couldn’t start. They said he couldn’t win. They said he couldn’t win regularly. Then they said he couldn’t win a shootout. I think this qualifies as a shootout.”

And Tebow has never won this far north before.

Tim just takes it all in stride. Afterward, he was complimenting somebody’s shoes, a college basketball coach, his former Florida teammate (the Vikings’ Percy Harvin) and Minnesota quarterback Christian Ponder. “I hate to say this about a Florida State guy, but I was very proud of Chris,” who threw for a club rookie record 381 yards and three touchdowns.

Ponder’s two interceptions, however, were quite severe. The first was returned 16 yards for a touchdown by Mario Haggan, the last, a pick by Andre Goodman, set up the winning field goal.

Tebow has 13 touchdowns (10 throwing, three rushing) and only one interception.

His quarterback rating in the fourth quarter of seven starts has been superior to the other team’s QBs. His rating Sunday was 149.3, and his completion percentage was what his worst critics had been demanding (66.7). The game is football, and Tebow has been succeeding with his feet, but he was playing armball, also.

Ponder said it’s “hard to argue how that guy wins games.”

But the arguments will persist because winning 70 percent of his starts last year and this year isn’t sufficient enough, and he has thrown for more than 300 yards only once and rushed for more than 100 only once. The Broncos’ last 13 quarterbacks since John Elway are retired or hurt (Jay Cutler and Kyle Orton).

After the game, Fox stood inside the locker room door and greeted his players with: “If it was easy, anybody could do it. This was another tough game.”

Finally, a Broncos’ official said, “We’re still waiting on one player, Coach.”

“Who?” Fox said.

Tebow, that’s who.

Outside, the proud mom and dad waited to hug their son.

Woody Paige: 303-954-1095 or wpaige@denverpost.com