Rebecca Cook / Reuters

Joey Harrington shouts out signals to his teammates during the Dolphins' victory over the Lions on Thursday.

The Lions, without running back Kevin Jones (ankle), had just 21 yards rushing.

Harrington played on Thanksgiving in Detroit for the fifth time and had his best game on the holiday, perhaps because he doesn’t play for the Lions anymore.

The former Oregon star was traded in May for a conditional draft pick that could be a fifth-rounder. He entered the game 1-3 on Thanksgiving with no TDs, five interceptions and an average of 153 yards passing — a total he surpassed in the first half alone.

Harrington finished 19-of-29 for a Thanksgiving-high 213 yards, three TDs and an interception.

He directed a balanced attack, led by Marty Booker’s seven receptions for 115 yards and two TDs. Ronnie Brown ran for 68 yards before leaving with an injured left hand early in the third quarter, and Sammy Morris filled in well with 91 yards rushing — including a career-long 55-yard run.

The fans at Ford Field, where Harrington was booed unmercifully even at a practice, jeered him when he ran on the field for his first drive and every time he was shown on the video boards, which displayed numerous close-up shots of his face.

While Harrington took it all in stride and laughed about it, his coach did not.

“It’s a shame people can’t appreciate what he tried to do for this organization,” Saban said. “To be honest for you, I don’t have a lot of respect for what they did.”

Notes: Brown’s hand was X-rayed, but Saban would not say if it was broken. “He does have an issue and he does have a problem, we just don’t know the prognosis,” Saban said. ... Miami CB Michael Lehan (nose), LB Keith Newman (shoulder) and Detroit CB Fernando Bryant (concussion) were injured in the game. ... Detroit WR Mike Williams, the 10th overall pick in 2005, made his first catch of the year and was given a standing ovation.

More news

NBC Sports

Is Cowboys' window closing?

  PFT Live: Fort Worth Star-Telegram Cowboys beat reporter Charean Williams breaks down owner Jerry Jones' comments on the window closing for his team.

Saints' defense learning Spagnuolo's way

METAIRIE, La. (AP) - The all-out blitzing the Saints unleashed during recent seasons appears to be a thing of the past under new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

Headlines

• Label

How does Nicks' injury affect Giants' offense?

PFT: Jets QBs stress competition; Tebow struggles

Off the Bench: Jets players chant 'Lolo' to Tebow

PFT: Harrison glad Goodell is getting sued

PFT: Charlie Sheen says he didn't buy LT's ring

PFT: HBO wants 'Hard Knocks' team locked in by 6/1

SportsTalk: Which teams are under pressure?

Does winning a postseason award matter?