Broncos win on the first play from scrimmage in the OT on an 80 yard catch and run TD. Tebow hits Thomas in stride at the Bronco 37, Thomas stiff arms the safety Taylor and then outraces the rest of the Steelers to the end zone to win it all.
I'm not a Broncos fan, but after the refs screwed them on a fumble call halfway through the third, I'm glad they won. Getting the fumble would have essentially iced it away for Denver with at least another FG to make it 23-6 (27-6 if Denver scored another TD). But the bad call left the ball with Pittsburgh, who recovered and went on to score their 1st TD of the game.
If you didn't see if, the game SITREP was: 20-6 Denver, Steelers ball on their own 23 with 8:12 to go in the third quarter. Big Ben threw a pass that was just slightly -- but
clearly from all the camera angles that were shown -- backwards and his intended receiver couldn't catch it. The Broncos fell on the ball on the Pittsburgh 18, but it had been ruled an incomplete pass and was already blown dead. The head ref explained to Broncos coach Fox that if the Broncos challenged, the play might end up being ruled a fumble instead of an incomplete pass, but the ball would have still belonged to the Steelers at the point of the drop. Reason? I am assuming the reasoning is that the refs blowing the play dead once the ball was dropped meant that the Steelers were denied a reasonable chance to recover. The Steelers thought the play dead, so they did not try. (How many times has your coach told you assume nothing, jump on the bloody ball and let the refs sort it out afterwards? Ought to be in the rule book.) Denver decided to save its challenge since winning it would have at best amounted to Pittsburgh losing 5 yards instead of the desired goal of Denver gaining the ball already in easy FG range.
With that break, Pittsburgh got its act together and built a drive that resulted in its first TD of the game, making the score 20-13 instead of 23-6 or even 27-6. In all likelihood the game would never have gone to OT if the Broncos get that fumble.
FWIW, Pittsburgh, playing in Denver, was favored by something like 8 1/2 points in this game. But Pittsburgh entered the game with several people hurt, and lost a couple more during the game. The Steelers secondary really missed starting safety Ryan Clark (DNP in the high altitude of Denver for medical reasons), as reflected in the Broncos long passing success.
Tebow played a pretty decent game, going 10/21 for over 300 yards and 2 TDs.
Yes, that's right, he averaged over 30 yards a completion. Almost certainly the best game of his pro career, especially given the stage. And IIRC all of his long completions except the game winning one were long passes, not catch-and-runs. Four for 30+ (2 for 50+ in the air) before the game winning 17+63 yard catch+run.
But it should all come to and end next weekend @ New England.
It
should come to an end...
But with Denver this year, nothing seems certain save uncertainty.
Definitely the most exciting game of the NFL playoffs so far this year.
"So let us not talk falsely now, the hour is getting late" -- Bob DylanTravel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime. - Mark Twain, "Innocents Abroad""Out of the tree of life I just picked me a plum... Still it's a real good bet the best is yet to come." song sung by Sheahon Zenger, 2011-12-09.
