The greatest moment in Tim Tebow's NFL career came 6 years ago
Before Tim Tebow was a polarizing baseball prospect and a college football analyst, he was an NFL quarterback.
He was a rather successful starting NFL quarterback at that.
Tebow had a winning record as a starter and nearly double the number of touchdowns thrown to interceptions (17 to nine). He also ran for nearly 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Without question, the absolute zenith of Tebow’s time as an NFL quarterback came seven short years ago when he was with the Denver Broncos.
On Jan. 8, 2012, the storied Pittsburgh Steelers traveled to Denver for an AFC wild-card round game that turned into an overtime thriller.
The 12-4 Steelers were favored over the 8-8 Broncos despite the game being held in Denver.
The Broncos were at home for the game because they had won a very weak AFC West. The team was also mired in a three-game losing streak to end the season.
Suffice to say, momentum was certainly not on the Broncos’ side heading into a playoff game.
The game itself was a game of runs.
The Steelers jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead on a pair of field goals.
The Broncos then responded with 20 straight points aided by Tebow’s rushing and throwing.
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger helped his team come right back and tie it at 23, and the game eventually went to overtime.
The overtime didn’t last long. On the Broncos’ very first play from scrimmage, Tebow — whose passing ability had been questioned — ripped the most iconic throw of his short NFL career: an 80-yard bomb to Demaryius Thomas.
As he watched Thomas run, Tebow said he thought, “First of all, thank you, Lord. Then, I was running after him, like I could catch DT. Then I jumped in the stands, the first time I’d do that. That was fun.”
To say Tim Tebow had himself a game in the wild-card round would be a massive understatement. He finished with 316 yards passing, two passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown.
As amazing of a game it turned out to be, it eventually carried a melancholy undertone.
Despite leading his team to a playoff win, this turned out to be Tebow’s final moment as a starting quarterback in the NFL. He was traded to the New York Jets the next season, and the new team tried to use him as a fullback and tight end instead of a quarterback. He would never again get another fair shot at being an NFL quarterback.
Regardless, six years ago, Tebow won a playoff game as a starting quarterback in the NFL, and he did so with one of most unexpected and unforgettable plays in Broncos history.
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