NFL: Tim Tebow 3:16 Needs Another Miracle on Saturday

Tim Tebow delivered big for the Denver Broncos on Sunday. Now he needs to do it again, and pray that his secondary holds up for 60 minutes. Al Dannity looks ahead to the AFC Divisional round game between the Patriots and the Broncos.

Legacy secured
No matter what happens on Saturday in Gillette Stadium, Tim Tebow and the 2011 Broncos have earned their place in history. Just like the 2010 Seahawks, they overcame tremendous odds to beat a fancied foe and progress from the Wildcard round. Tebow’s stat-line was downright eerie. The man who once famously wore John 3:16 on his eye black for 2009 BCS title game passed for 316 yards in the biggest NFL game of his career. Keeping this miracle going will take more than massive coincidences on Saturday.

Tebow’s success as a passer was weighted heavily on Pittsburgh’s refusal to respect him as a passer. He only completed 10 of 21 passes but 5 of those completions went for more than 30 yards. Success on play action was a major factor. Denver will once again need to disguise their plays well on offense this Saturday in order to exploit the New England secondary.

The Patriots see the openings
For all of Denver’s success on defense on Sunday, their secondary looked shaky against the run. With a significant speed disadvantage the Broncos defensive backs gave Pittsburgh room to run end around plays. Denver will adjust but I expect the Patriots to have a few packages on the ground designed to test the cover outside.

The big advantage for New England remains in the passing game. Last month the Patriots overcame early jitters to dominate through the air. The diversity of options at Tom Brady’s disposal will create havoc for the Denver defense. Rob Gronkowski and Wes Welker got most of the attention in the regular season but Aaron Hernandez and Julian Edelman create different kinds of problems for opponents. There’s also one big name who has yet to make his presence felt in New England. Chad Ochocinco had a quiet regular season; I have a feeling we’ll see big things from #85 on Saturday.

The verdict
I believe in miracles but they are the rarest of feats. The Broncos will have some success on offense this weekend but I can’t see them stopping Tom Brady. New England’s offense is simply too stacked for Denver to be competitive for four quarters. It’s been fun while it lasted but Tebow Time is going to end, for this season at least, this Saturday.

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