With the No. 1 draft pick a distinct possibility and a phenom quarterback named Andrew Luck lurking, Tim Tebow took his future into his large hands, his underrated arm and his powerful and elusive legs.

It may have been a stretch, although not by a mile, to suggest the game Sunday was Tebow vs. Luck for status as the Broncos’ quarterback of the future.

Go ahead, Carolina Panthers. Use that No. 1 pick on Luck, the prototypical, passing-polished quarterback from Stanford — providing the super sophomore declares himself eligible for the NFL draft.

The Broncos will go forward with the raw, unconventional but just-try-to-stop-him Tebow.

With Tebow exhorting his teammates to a remarkable second-half comeback, the Broncos stunned the Houston Texans 24-23 on Sunday before a large post-Christmas gathering (only 5,717 no-shows in the sellout) at Invesco Field at Mile High.

“He is exactly what you thought coming out of college,” said Gary Kubiak, the Houston head coach and former Broncos offensive coordinator. “He is a winner. He will find a way to make a play. He will find a way to move the chains. He found a way to win a game today, and that is what this league is about.”

By overcoming a 17-0 halftime deficit, the Broncos blew their chance at receiving the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft.

“That guy costs too much money, anyway,” said Brandon Lloyd, the Broncos’ phenomenally acrobatic receiver.

The 2-13 Panthers clinched the No. 1 pick, a Holy Grail this time because only there does a team figure to have a chance at getting Luck, who has yet to declare his intentions.

He’s not likely coming to Denver. The 4-11 Broncos still would get the No. 2 pick by losing their season finale next week against San Diego. But at No. 2, the discussion about grabbing a defensive player will generate far less debate.

“How many quarterbacks are we supposed to draft?” Broncos defensive end Justin Bannan said.

Whether Tebow can make it as an elite NFL quarterback remains uncertain. Two starts are not enough to make such a leap in judgment. Quarterback aficionados go on and on about his long release, his shaky footwork, his inability to quickly read the coverage — as if there’s ever been a rookie quarterback in the 90-year history of the NFL who could.

What Tebow does have are qualities that can’t be coached. Specifically, isn’t escapability a nice asset to have in your quarterback?

“He can beat you with his legs and he can beat you with his arm,” said Broncos running back Correll Buckhalter, who had a fountain of youth game with one touchdown running and another touchdown receiving. “But what I like most about him is the energy he brings to the huddle. That’s a third element that he brings — the energy.”

Tebow threw for 308 yards and a touchdown against the Texans, and also rushed for 27 yards, including a reverse-the-field, 6-yard, go-ahead touchdown with 3:02 remaining.

In both his starting debut last week at Oakland and before the home fans Sunday, Tebow at the very least showed why he has captivated a football nation the past five years.

“It’s the passion,” Lloyd said, “and it’s funny how it translates to people who don’t play. It’s strange because to us players, it’s expected to play with a lot of passion. But a lot of us don’t play with it. And a lot of us know the difference between guys who really are passionate and guys who are trying to act that way but are chilling out.

“With Tim, when he calls the play I know he’s going to do everything humanly possible to make that play happen. It’s crazy having that kind of confidence in a rookie quarterback.”

It wasn’t until after the Broncos trailed 17-0 at intermission that the magic of Tebow appeared. He drilled a beautiful 50-yard pass to Jabar Gaffney on the opening drive of the second half, with right tackle Ryan Harris taunting Houston defensive end Mark Anderson every step while following the play downfield.

It seems that early in the game the Texans, like most Tebow foes, directed verbal salvos at the quarterback, no doubt with the intention of offending his famous Christian values.

Does Tebow ever retaliate with words of his own?

“No, I am not much of a trash talker,” Tebow said. “I might throw in a ‘God bless.’ “

He brought down the news conference room with that remark.

Tebow led his offense to three scores — touchdown, field goal and touchdown — on his first three second-half possessions, but he needed to make it four-for-four.

It was 23-17 Texans when Tebow huddled up his offense with 7:42 remaining and the ball at his 24. A third-and-10 dump off to Buckhalter gained 22 yards. Then a 15-yard strike on second-and-long to Lloyd. Tebow scrambled for 11.

Tebow had the Texans’ defense, ranked No. 32 in the league against the pass, rocked back on its heels.

Eventually facing third-and-4 at the Texans’ 10, an interference call on Glover Quin gave the Broncos a first-and-goal at the 1. After an illegal procedure penalty, Tebow did what he does best — avoid a sack, pivot back to his left where the grass was green and no white Texans uniforms were close to catching him.

With fourth-quarter comeback No. 1, Tebow assured the Broncos would not have the No. 1 draft pick.

And without the No. 1 pick, Tebow remains the Broncos’ future.

Mike Klis: 303-954-1055 or mklis@denverpost.com