The Denver Broncos shocked the defending AFC champion Pittsburgh Steelers 29-23 in overtime yesterday, and no one seemed more surprised by Broncos QB Tim Tebow than the Steelers' coaching staff.
Put it this way: the Steelers, coming into the wild card game in Denver with the NFL's #1 pass defense, had given up six completions of 30 yards or more in 16 games. Tim Tebow connected on five of them in one game against the not-so-Steel Curtain.
So you can bet that knocking off the Steelers, who really have become America's Team in the past decade, is only going to create more media hysteria around Tebow (the subject of an essay in the current Time about what his faith means for the future of American evangelicalism), as the Broncos prepare for a rematch next weekend with America's favorite quarterback, Tom Brady, and the New England Patriots.
You remember Tebow/Brady One, don't you? Just three weeks ago, the two teams played in Denver in perhaps the most hyped regular season game of the year. After a close quarter and a half, New England pulled away and won, 41-23.
This article appears in Jan 5-11, 2012.