Tim Tebow, trying to shake the quarterback from a three-game funk.
Tebow went one better – he pulled off an upset.
A rejuvenated Tebow connected with Demaryius Thomas on an electrifying 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play of overtime and the Broncos defeated the stunned Pittsburgh Steelers 29-23 in the AFC wild-card game on Sunday.
Wild doesn't begin to describe it. The play took 11 seconds and was the quickest ending to an overtime in NFL history.
Thomas hauled in a high play-action pass at the Denver 38, stiff-armed Ike Taylor and then outraced backup safety Ryan Mundy to the end zone.
"I was just saying, `Man trust your speed. Trust your speed. Don't cut back. Don't cut back.' And he kept it straight. He outran the guy," said Willis McGahee, whose fourth-quarter fumble helped Pittsburgh tie it.
"I was like, `Oh my God, is he still running?' Please just go. Please. Please."
Tebow, who had done next to nothing in the second half after a 20-point explosion in the second quarter, looked as startled as everyone else. He chased down Thomas and knelt on one knee – Tebowing as it's known – in the end zone while the crowd was going crazy. Then he pounded a fist in triumph and took a victory lap.
"When I saw him scoring, first of all, I just thought, `Thank you, Lord,'" Tebow said. "Then, I was running pretty fast, chasing him – like I can catch up to D.T! Then I just jumped into the stands, first time I've done that. That was fun. Then, got on a knee and thanked the Lord again and tried to celebrate with my teammates and the fans."
Behind Tebow's season-high 316 yards passing, the Broncos (9-8) are heading to New England for a second-round game against the top-seeded Patriots (13-3) on Saturday night.
The Patriots walloped the Broncos 41-23 last month, sending Tebow into a funk that included seven turnovers and a 40 percent completion clip – and prompting Elway to implore him to "pull the trigger" in the playoffs.
Did he ever.
And unlike Elway, who lost his first postseason start – to the Steelers at home in 1984 – Tebow is 1-0 in the playoffs.
