Since inheriting the reigns at the quarterback position for a Denver Broncos team that's been absent from the Playoffs since 2005, Tim Tebow has played the role of a miracle worker by breathing life back into the franchise. Following their dismal 1-4 start which resulted in Kyle Orton losing his job to Tim Tebow in week 6 before later being traded to the Kansas City Chiefs, the unconventional wiz kid would lead the team on a journey which saw the former Heisman Trophy winner pull out victory after victory in storybook fashion by winning 7 of his first 8 games. Unfortunately for Tebow and the Mile High faithful, the magic show would eventually come to a screeching halt.
Losers of their last three games heading into the Playoffs, the Broncos limped into the Postseason and were once again underdogs, this time to the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers who featured a depleted roster, most notably a hobbled Ben Roethlisberger. Coming into the game, Denver was the subject of a possible quarterback change with speculation swirling around head coach John Fox and the rumor of him potentially going with backup QB Brady Quinn who hasn't played a down all season long. Those rumors would be just that come game day however, as coach Fox stuck with Tebow which would prove to be his best decision at helm since deciding to promote Tebow to the starting role back in October. Having been criticized all season long for his mediocre passing accuracy despite remodeling the team from pretender to contender, Tebow would log his best game at the NFL level yet, once again proving the doubters and naysayers wrong.
Entering Sunday's match up, the Steelers had not allowed an opposing quarterback to throw for 300 yards all season long. That mark would soon be vanished as Tebow torched the NFL's number one ranked defense for 316 passing yards as well as another 50 yards rushing. At the end of the first quarter, Tebow and the Broncos faced a 6-0 deficit before Tebow threw the first of his two touchdown passes to take the lead, connecting with wide receiver Eddie Royal from 30 yards out for the go-ahead touchdown. Denver would tack on 13 more points before the end of the half to make it 20 to 6, Broncos. Denver's 20 unanswered points would be highlighted by two Matt Prater field goals and an 8-yard rushing touchdown by Tim Tebow.
But just when you began to rule them out, Big Ben and the Steelers fought back to overcome a 14-point deficit and send the game into overtime where football fans would get to see their first glimpse of the newly changed overtime rules. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh who lost the coin toss, those rules wouldn't work in their favor as the Wild Card thriller came to an early end just one play into overtime when Tebow connected with WR Demaryius Thomas for an 80-yard touchdown on a play-action slant route to win it in stunning fashion by a final score of 29-23, sending both the Broncos faithful and the Twitter feed into a frenzy. The game-winning touchdown pass from Tebow to Thomas netted 80-yards, making it not only the longest play in overtime history, but also the shortest overtime in NFL history at just 11 seconds. Broncos wide-out Demaryius Thomas who hauled in 204 of Tebow's 316 passing yards proved to be a match up nightmare for Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor who was exposed, getting burned time and time again before eating a stiff-arm by Thomas on the final play of the game.
Though Sunday's game with the reigning AFC Champions wasn't exactly a walk in the park, Denver's next opponent won't be any easier as Tim Tebow and company get set to fly out to Foxborough where they'll be facing Tom Brady and the number one seeded New England Patriots who several weeks ago in mid-December handed the Broncos a 23-41 loss in their own venue. Broncos head coach Jim Fox will hope to re-write the script in the rematch to once again overcome the odds. Coincidentally, the Patriots just hired former Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels to the staff to serve as an offensive assistant. Adding to the already intriguing storyline will be that McDaniels is gearing up to go up against Tim Tebow and Demaryius Thomas, both of whom he drafted in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft when at the helm in Denver.
One thing that's certain is that Tebow has shined brightest when all eyes are on him. And whether or not his team gets eliminated this coming weekend, his success this year should do wonders for his confidence and an even stronger Tim Tebow should be expected next season. Be sure to catch the action on Saturday @ 5 p.m. on CBS and see if Tim Tebow can pull the upset and add another chapter to his remarkable run.
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