NFL:The Denver Broncos stunned the Pittsburgh Steelers with an 80-yard touchdown pass from Tim Tebow in the first play of overtime for a 29-23 win last night to advance to the second round of the NFL play-offs. Tebow, whose shortcomings as a passer have been well documented, connected with Demaryius Thomas on the first play after the overtime kick-off to floor the Steelers.
"I don't think it's the first time our offense has clicked . . . but I thought the timing was great. We had struggled over the last couple weeks and a lot of that progress was because of our quarterback," said Denver coach John Fox. "A lot was said, a lot was written and there's been a lot of critique on him but I thought he stepped up in a huge way tonight and I think he was a big part of us winning the game."
The Broncos, who came into the post-season on a three-game losing streak, now hit the road full of confidence ready to face Tom Brady and the New England Patriots when the play-offs resume next weekend.
It was more Mile High magic from Tebow, who became a fan favourite by pulling out late wins after getting the starting role during the season, but he set the stage for the victory much earlier with a second quarter blitz that ravaged the NFL's top ranked defence for 20 points.
Tebow's numbers would hardly shine alongside even average outings by Brady or New Orleans counterpart Drew Brees but his 10 completions on 21 attempts for 316 yards and two touchdowns were enough to earn Denver its first play-off win in seven years. The quarterback, who also ran in for a touchdown,
may have also found a target in Thomas who hauled in four passes for 204 yards, including the game-winning catch that resulted in the quickest end to an NFL overtime at 11 seconds.
"We just tried to step up, we knew it was win or go home and this team wanted to fight and play another game," explained Tebow. "It was a great call, it was something we had ran earlier in the game. When I saw him score, I was running pretty fast trying to catch him then I just jumped into the stands. First time I've done that."
Earlier in the day, Eli Manning threw for three touchdowns to continue his brilliant season, but the most uplifting element in the New York Giants' rout of the Atlanta Falcons was the team's defence. The Giants eliminated the Falcons and advanced to a second round clash with the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers next week with a 24-2 victory during which the defence did not give up a point.
"Probably our best effort so far this year," defensive end Justin Tuck said about the win.
The Giants, who registered 11 sacks in their last two wins, had just two against the Falcons but applied constant pressure on Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan and stifled a strong Falcons running attack. Twice the Giants defensive line stopped Ryan short on quarterback sneaks on fourth-and-one plays with Atlanta striving to keep touchdown drives alive.