"Pull the actual trigger, " Steve Elway told their Denver Broncos celebrity, Tim Tebow, attempting to shake the quarterback from the three-game funk.
Tebow proceeded to go one better – he or she pulled off a good upset.
A rejuvenated Tebow associated with Demaryius Thomas with an electrifying 80-yard touchdown spread the first perform of overtime and also the Broncos defeated the actual stunned Pittsburgh Steelers 29-23 within the AFC wild-card online game on Sunday.
Wild doesn't start to describe it. The play required 11 seconds as well as was the quickest ending for an overtime in NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE history.
Thomas hauled inside a high play-action pass in the Denver 38, stiff-armed Ike Taylor after which outraced backup security Ryan Mundy towards the end zone.
"I had been just saying, `Man believe in your speed. Believe in your speed. Don't reduce. Don't cut back again. ' And he or she kept it directly. He outran the actual guy, " stated Willis McGahee, in whose fourth-quarter fumble assisted Pittsburgh tie this.
"I was such as, `Oh my Lord, is he nevertheless running? ' Make sure you just go. Make sure you. Please. "
Tebow, who had done alongside nothing in the 2nd half after the 20-point explosion within the second quarter, looked as startled as everybody else. He chased lower Thomas and knelt on a single knee – Tebowing because it's known – ultimately zone while the actual crowd was heading crazy. Then he or she pounded a closed fist in triumph as well as took a triumph lap.
"When We saw him rating, first of just about all, I just believed, `Thank you, Head of the family, '" Tebow stated. "Then, I had been running pretty quick, chasing him – like I will catch up in order to D. T! I quickly just jumped to the stands, first period I've done which. That was enjoyable. Then, got on the knee and thanked god, the father again and attempted to celebrate along with my teammates and also the fans. "
At the rear of Tebow's season-high 316 back yards passing, the Broncos (9-8) are going to New England for any second-round game from the top-seeded Patriots (13-3) upon Saturday night.
The actual Patriots walloped the actual Broncos 41-23 final month, sending Tebow right into a funk that incorporated seven turnovers along with a 40 percent conclusion clip – as well as prompting Elway in order to implore him in order to "pull the trigger" within the playoffs.
Did he or she ever.
And in contrast to Elway, who lost their first postseason start – towards the Steelers at house in 1984 – Tebow is 1-0 within the playoffs.
"We're only a fighting team. Lots of resilience, " cornerback Champion Bailey said. "In any kind of adverse situation, we'll discover a way to get from it. Everybody says we backed to the playoffs, we're within. We did something right on the way. We're in this. We won a game title. Now, we've reached go try to win a different one. "
The Steelers (12-5) dropped despite Ben Roethlisberger rallying injury-depleted Pittsburgh from the two-touchdown halftime debt with 10 points within the final 10 min's.
Pittsburgh called tails for that overtime coin throw, and it arrived up heads.
Tebow, who engineered 5 fourth-quarter comebacks as well as three OT wins within the regular season, wasted virtually no time finding Thomas within the middle with simply his second spread first down through the night – and their first completion.
Thomas also experienced receptions of fifty-one and 58 yards to setup second-quarter touchdowns following Tebow lost their top target, Eric Decker, to some seriously injured remaining knee, in the very first half.
"They had been the No. 1 defense and we're the No. 1 criminal offense running the golf ball, " Thomas stated. "So, I feel such as they wanted to create a statement and cease the run. I have no idea if they forgot concerning the passing game. The final couple of games that people had, we weren't passing the golf ball that great. inch
Thus, Elway's admonition.
"I seem like he came away and played assured, " Eddie Regal said. "And I believe that's what John was attempting to tell him: Play how you know how in order to play. And Ricky did that. He was smart using the ball and truly led this criminal offense today. "
Tebow's passer score of 125. 6 was the greatest in Broncos postseason background.
"He showed he is a quarterback within the NFL, case shut, " McGahee stated. "They say he or she couldn't throw. They said we wouldn't have the ability to run the ball in it. We did which. I wonder what they will say next 7 days. "
Mundy was playing instead of Ryan Clark, the Steelers' top tackler who sat that one out due to a blood condition that is exacerbated at altitude.
"We dropped, and it's not really because I did not play; we experienced very capable men that played nicely, " said Clark, who was one of many Steelers sidelined or even injured. Pro Dish center Maurkice Pouncey had been out, replaced through Doug Legursky, who had a poor snap right prior to halftime that moved Pittsburgh from field goal variety.
On the very first snap of overtime, Thomas taken in Tebow's high move and raced lower the Broncos sideline, delivering the crowd, such as Elway, the Broncos professional vice president, right into a frenzy at Sports activities Authority Field, that was rocking like the actual old Mile High Stadium in the 1990s.
McGahee offered the play-action nicely, drawing safety Troy Polamalu yet others up to the line to protect the run as well as leaving Thomas with room about the crossing pattern to seize the pass and switch on the jets for that 80-yard score, Tebow's longest pass play like a pro.
"It was just a little surprising, " Steelers linebacker Wayne Farrior said. "But I suppose he's been spending so much time. He's taken lots of criticism over recent years weeks about their throwing motion, their passing game. Such as I said previously, he's a rival. You keep attempting to down a man, and a man like him who's a difficult competitor, he's likely to get you once. "
Hines Ward known as this defeat "just because disappointing" as final year's loss in order to Green Bay within the Super Bowl.
"I've been on lots of really good groups, thank God, and I experienced this team had been up there together, " Polamalu stated. "We weren't in a position to stay healthy as well as keep a cohesiveness like we desired to. "
Tebow completed 10 associated with 21 passes as well as Thomas hauled in four of these for 204 back yards after Decker was injured on the hit by linebacker Wayne Harrison.
Thomas, who missed instruction camp while coping with a torn Achilles and the beginning of the season while coping with a fractured hand, has come on strong recently, averaging 109 yards during the last six games.
However the Broncos' top pick this year – taken three slots in front of Tebow in the very first round – had not had done anything such as this.
"It's amazing simply because I haven't performed explosive like Used to do in college in quite a long time, " Thomas stated.
Tebow threw 2 TD passes as well as ran 10 occasions for 50 yards along with a touchdown.
"I think we executed a bit better. We tried to step-up, " he stated. "We knew it had been win or proceed home. This team desired to fight. We desired to play another online game. "
These two groups had played the very first ever regular period overtime game upon Sept. 22, 1974, within Denver. Now, they played the very first non-sudden death playoff game ever. The new rules required both teams to find the ball in the additional period providing presently there wasn't a landing by either the actual offense or protection.
Tebow took treatment of that in a rush.
Making his first appearance within the playoffs after heading 7-4 as Denver's beginner, Tebow outplayed Roethlisberger, a two-time Extremely Bowl winner playing on the bad ankle, who fell to 10-4 within the playoffs.
Roethlisberger had been 22 for forty for 289 back yards with one TD, 1 interception and 5 sacks. Tebow wasn't removed once by the actual league's top protection.
The Broncos clicked a three-game dropping streak that experienced many wondering when they were even worth their first playoff within six seasons, also it kept the Steelers using their 34th playoff earn, which would possess broken a tie using the Cowboys for probably the most ever.
Tebow led Colorado to 20 second-quarter points – they'd scored just 13 within the quarter in their 11 starts – however a 20-6 halftime guide didn't last lengthy.
Receiver Mike Wallace experienced a 1-yard TD operate, Shaun Suisham kicked a brief field goal as well as Jerricho Cotchery snapped up a 31-yard TD move with 3: forty eight left in legislation to tie this.
The Steelers had been nearing field goal range within the final minute of regulation however the Broncos sacked Roethlisberger 3 times on that last drive, forcing the fumble that Roethlisberger retrieved.
"We were shifting it and we'd a shot, inch Roethlisberger said. "Someone obtained, it felt just like a finger, on the actual ball and bumped it out. Next, you're trying in order to throw a 70-yard Hail Mary and that is hard. "
Roethlisberger never obtained the ball back again as Tebow put into his growing listing of impossible victories within the blink of a watch and a flick from the wrist.
"He gets lots of flak when things fail, " Clark stated, "but he performed phenomenal today. inch
Notes: This had been the Broncos' 2nd playoff win because Elway retired subsequent his second directly Super Bowl sucess in 1999, as well as their first because Jan. 14, 2006, once they handed Tom Brady their first playoff reduction. The Broncos lost towards the Steelers the subsequent week.... This was the very first OT playoff game because the Saints beat the actual Vikings 31-28 within the NFC championship upon Jan. 24, 2010.
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