SAN ANTONIO (AP) – The New Orleans Saints had to figure they’d lost a game just about every way possible.

Think again.

Jason Hanson rushed onto the field and kicked a 39-yard knuckleball field goal as the final seconds ticked off, giving the Detroit Lions a 13-12 victory Saturday in a game that, for three quarters, featured the worst of two of the NFL’s tailenders.

New Orleans, which lost on a bizarre penalty and rekick on the final play two months ago against Atlanta, figured to have this one locked away when John Carney kicked his fourth field goal for a 12-10 lead with 1:52 to play.

Joey Harrington, the Lions’ beleaguered quarterback who had been benched twice this season, then connected with Roy Williams for two big completions on the Lions’ final drive. The first came on fourth down, a 40-yard catch. On the second, with about 13 seconds left, Williams caught the ball in the middle of the field.

Detroit didn’t have any timeouts and had to hustle Hanson and the field goal unit onto the field and get everyone else off. As the last seconds ticked off, Hanson launched a low kick that knuckled through the uprights for the win.

Until that drive, Harrington and Lions had done little on offense. Hanson’s two fourth-quarter field goals were their only offensive points. The Lions also got a 21-yard fumble return for a touchdown by defensive tackle Shaun Rogers in the second quarter.

For the Lions (5-10), it was an amazing victory in a season in which their fans protested their bad play and the management of team president Matt Millen. The win snapped a five-game losing streak.

For New Orleans (3-12), it was just another tough loss in a season full of mistakes. It was also eerily reminiscent of the defeat against Atlanta, when the Falcons missed a kick in the final seconds, but were awarded a retry when the Saints were flagged for holding.

The Saints have lost 10 of their last 11 in a season in which they played “home” games in New Jersey, San Antonio and Baton Rouge, La., after Hurricane Katrina.

Harrington got his third crack as the starter and his first drive was efficient. The Lions went 16 plays and move to the Saints 4, but Harrington threw his 12th interception. He underthrew the 6-foot-3 Williams on a fade to the corner and 5-9 cornerback Fred Thomas picked it off. After picking up five first downs, the Lions would get only two more until the fourth quarter.

Todd Bouman wasn’t much better at the beginning of his second start for New Orleans. A week after committing five turnovers in a loss to Carolina, Bouman was sacked and fumbled.

The rest of the first half produced a litany of mistakes by two teams playing out the stretch of frustrating seasons. Dropped passes – Williams dropped two, one of which looked like a sure touchdown late in the second quarter – penalties and broken plays disrupted both offenses.

Bouman kept a lid on the mistakes as the game wore on, twice leading drives to take the lead in the second half. Carney kicked field goals of 35, 47, 33 and 20 yards.

But given one last chance, Harrington and Hanson delivered. Now maybe the folks back home will quiet down a bit.

AP-ES-12-24-05 1640EST