NEW CASTLE —
So it’s true what they were saying about why the Denver Broncos struggled during the last few weeks of December.
God was indeed busy planning His Son’s birthday party.
Apparently, He was also arranging for an earlier than expected vacation for the Pittsburgh Steelers. They certainly need it to heal their wounds, both physical and emotional.
After the Broncos lost their last three games of the regular season over the holidays, God’s full attention was back on another of His favorite sons yesterday.
Tim Tebow, he of the greatly over-hyped (by the media) religious faith, defied belief in defeating the heavily favored defending AFC champions, 29-23, in overtime.
All spiritual joking aside, or perhaps just some of it, there was seemingly a little divine intervention going on in that second quarter of that wild Wild Card matchup at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
During a quarter that had been a disaster all season for Denver, Tebow played like the second coming of John Elway.
No offense intended, but that’s precisely the point. No one expected many points from this no-offense team. Clearly something metaphysical was up.
The Broncos had been averaging two points in the second quarter while yielding 10, the worst such differential for any NFL team in any quarter for over a decade, yet they somehow managed to drop a 20-spot on the league’s “best” defense.
It all seemed so promising after Steelers coach Mike Tomlin won a challenge and the officials overturned a first-down reception early in the second, setting up a third-and-12 from their own 18 for the Broncos, who were trailing 6-0 and had gotten absolutely nowhere in the first quarter.
At that moment, a 16-0 final score and a trip to New England on Saturday seemed like a distinct possibility for the Steelers.
Even the Mayans could not have prophesized what was going to happen next.
Like manna from heaven, two soft Tebow rainbows covering 81 total yards fell directly into the hands of very well-covered receivers, and just like that, Denver had a prayer.
This was a guy who had produced exactly zero touchdowns in his offense’s last 21 drives matched up against the NFL’s top-ranked pass defense — statistically speaking only, of course. The Pittsburgh secondary had not allowed a single 100-yard receiver all season, but in this one quarter alone they allowed Demaryius Thomas to top that mark.
Denver was now up, 7-6, but it might as well have been 77-6. This game was destined to go Tebow’s way. (He did, after all, end up throwing for 316 yards. Or as he might say, 3:16 yards).
That series was the beginning of a recurring nightmare for the 2011 Steelers, who inspired a lot of hope in the Sisters of the Poor throughout the NFL during many a game this season. You never could overestimate the Black-and-Gold’s ability to underestimate inferior opponents.
The very next series, the Steelers inexplicably let Thomas roam through the middle of the field without safety help, allowing him to pick up 58 easy yards, the longest completion of Tebow’s young career.
Ryan Clark, anyone?
Two plays later the middle of the Pittsburgh line parted like the … well, let’s just say Tebow scored to make it 14-6.
The Broncos then had a few more fortunate bounces and tips (near fumbles and near interceptions) go their way en route to a pair of field goals and a 20-6 halftime lead.
At one point, they had outgained the Steelers, 226-3, in the second quarter. The Steelers had not been dominated like that since 143 B.C.
Pittsburgh’s second-half comeback, now an afterthought, merely set the stage for more Tebow magic and a play that left delirious impartial football fans texting “OMT!!” to each other. (Think about it.)
Tebow’s perfect strike to Thomas, running a perfect route, on the first play of overtime was a perfectly fitting end of the game to any unbiased observer.
By all assumptions, the Big Football Fan in the Sky is an unbiased observer.
But today, as the Steelers clean out their lockers, it is not hard to believe that the Broncos were playing with a 12th Man yesterday.
(Steve Treu covers the Steelers for The News.)
Steelers
Related Photos
-
Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow celebrates his 80-yard touchdown pass in overtime, giving the Broncos a 29-23 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday in an AFC Wildcard matchup. Tebow torched the hyped Steelers defense for 316 passing yards.
Discussion
Steve Treu: Tebow torches ‘vaunted’ Steelers defense ... OMT!
- Steelers
-
-
NFL Draft: Steelers trade to select QB Landry Jones of Oklahoma
Forget the first three rounds of the draft, it took until the third day for things to really get interesting for the Steelers. A linebacker, a halfback and a wide receiver fail in comparison to what happened Saturday in the fourth round. First, the Steelers traded away a future draft pick for the first time in 40 years, and then they drafted a quarterback!
-
Gene Collier: Jones falls into Steelers' lap during NFL Draft
The surprises didn't exactly come in waves in Round 1 of the NFL draft, which was perfectly thematic because it was certainly no surprise when the Steelers pounced on Jarvis Jones, much in the way they expect him to pounce on quarterbacks as early as this fall.
-
NFL Draft: Steelers looking for depth, not impact players
Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert doesn’t believe there’s an immediate starter to be found with the team’s 17th pick in the NFL draft.
-
Steelers sign Gradkowski; Leftwich likely gone
Bruce Gradkowski, who grew up in Dormont and played at Seton-LaSalle High School, has signed a three-year contract to return home to play quarterback for the Steelers.
-
Steelers cut James Harrison in cap move
James Harrison’s snarling tenacity made the Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker one of the NFL’s most intimidating players for nearly a decade. Big hits — some legal, some not so much — also turned the outspoken five-time Pro Bowler into focal point for a league-wide crackdown on helmet-to-helmet contact.
-
Big Ben announces K-9 grant for New Castle
New Castle’s police department has received a grant from the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation to add to its K-9 unit. The $8,000 grant will be used to buy a dog, either trained or untrained, and a safety vest for the canine. If the dog requires training, the grant covers that cost.
-
County commissioners call meeting on YDC
The Lawrence County commissioners have invited area legislators and other officials to discuss options for the Youth Development Center property. Commissioner Chairman Dan Vogler said the meeting, set for tomorrow afternoon will basically be “a brainstorming session” among the officials “to discuss what options are open to us.”
-
Steelers cut RB Rainey after arrest in Florida
Rookie running back Chris Rainey has run out of chances with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers cut the troubled 24-year-old following his arrest on a battery charge in Gainesville, Fla., yesterday, the latest in a series of off-the-field incidents that have threatened his career.
-
Steelers bracing for changes after 8-8 season
The Pittsburgh Steelers spent all fall claiming the chatter generated by various off-the-field issues was only so much background noise. Through Mike Wallace’s contract status to the relationship between quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Todd Haley to the injury problems that kept bold-faced players out of the lineup for long stretches, the Steelers insisted they were focused.
-
Steve Treu: Like his Steelers teammates, Big Ben played small when it mattered most
He is the player most responsible for restoring championship glory to the franchise. More than any other, he should get the most credit for delivering the last two Super Bowl titles to Pittsburgh.
- More Steelers Headlines
-
