Dreaming the improbable dream
Broncos-patriots game is generating intense interest, as millions wonder: Can Tebow pull off another upset?
Not even Tim Tebow is dreaming Super Bowl or bust for the Denver Broncos, the left-for-dead AFC West champions who rose up to score a dramatic victory in the wild-card round.
A television audience of 42.4 million viewers watched Tebow hit Demaryius Thomas on a post route for an 80-yard catch-and-run to capsize the defending conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers, 29-23, in overtime last Sunday at Invesco Field. It was the nation’s most-watched television program since Super Bowl XLV.
For an encore, Tebow and the Broncos travel to New England to face the topseeded Patriots on Saturday at 5 p.m. PST at Gillette Stadium. Tebow vs. Tom Brady — the man with three Super Bowl rings and two MVP awards — figures to be an even more closely followed affair, a ratings bonanza for CBS.
“It’s not often that the opposing quarterback gets more publicity locally and nationally than our quarterback,” Patriots owner Robert Kraft told CNBC.
Not even Brady, the heartthrob with the golden arm and supermodel wife, can upstage Tebow, who has captured the imagination of the football public after rescuing a Broncos season gone wrong following a 2-5 start. He led Denver to six consecutive regular-season victories, three in overtime.
Now, the question is: How long can it continue for a team that finished atop its division at 8-8 in a three-way tie? The Broncos lost their final three regular-season games. They didn’t back into the playoffs, they sneaked in via a rear window.
It all adds up to a fascinating match-up against a team that’s been there, and done that, but not since 2005. It’s been seven years since Brady and Coach Bill Belichick were crowned champions in Super Bowl XXXIX and, while the highoctane offense remains in place, much has changed. Success in New England is measured by Lombardi Trophies, something Tebow can’t fathom at this point.
“It’s definitely not Super Bowl or bust,” he said. “That’s what I’m talking about, enjoying the journey. You have to just have fun every day. That was a lot of fun on Sunday, but you have to enjoy the blessing that we have and not just look forward to the destination. I’m having fun every day, and whatever happens, I’ll definitely count this season as a blessing and I’m thankful for the opportunity.”
Tebow operates in the midst of a hype machine the NFL has never seen before — not in the social media-driven world we’re in — as if he’s gearing up for just another game.
It’s difficult to comprehend. The Broncos were nine-point underdogs against the Steelers. They head to Foxborough, Mass., as 14-point underdogs but the team getting all the attention. The Broncos appear to be not fazed in the least, not after rebuffing the league’s No. 1-ranked defense. The Patriots (13-3) were the team responsible for the beginning of Denver’s late-season stumble. They took advantage of three turnovers and stuffed the Broncos, 41-23, on Dec. 18 at Invesco Field.
The Broncos held an early 16-7 lead and gained 167 yards in the first quarter. But three Denver turnovers inside its 20-yard line quickly turned the game into a rout. The Broncos were blown out the following week at Buffalo and then lost at home in the regular-season finale to the Chiefs, 7-3. They limped into the playoffs with seemingly everyone wondering whether Tebow had exceeded his nine lives for the season.
Then, they hung in there against an injury-riddled Steelers team and had an abundance of big-play magic as Tebow passed for 316 yards despite completing only 10 of 21passes. He joined Joe Montana and Jeff Garcia as the only quarterbacks in postseason history to throw for 300 yards and two scores and also rush for 50 yards and a touchdown.
How can you write off the Broncos when Tebow has managed six fourth-quarter comebacks? Well, they might need more than 29 points this week. The Patriots average 32.1 per game.
“They’re a scoring team . . . and I feel like we’re going to have to put a lot of points on the board,” Thomas said.
That’s the challenge. Tebow has delivered already against seemingly stacked odds.
“The one thing that I’ll be most proud of is our team will definitely go out there and play hard, play with a lot of passion, and emotion, and enthusiasm, which is all you can ask for,” Tebow said.