Tim Tebow Leads Denver Broncos With 316 Yards Passing In Win Over Pittsburgh Steelers (VIDEO)

DENVER -- Tim Tebow assuredly channelled his larboard arm and begin one added absurd accomplishment up his sleeve.

After Ben Roethlisberger rallied the Pittsburgh Steelers from a two-touchdown deficit, the Denver Broncos won the overtime bread toss, and on aboriginal down, Tebow tucked the brawl in Willis McGahee's abdomen like he'd done all afternoon.

The linebackers and assurance Troy Polamalu all bit on the play-action fake, and Tebow hit advanced receiver Demaryius Thomas for an absorbing 80-yard touchdown that abashed the Steelers 29-23 in the AFC wild-card bold Sunday.

Thomas accomplished aerial to booty in Tebow's pass, stiff-armed cornerback Ike Thomas and outraced advancement assurance Ryan Mundy to the end area for Denver's aboriginal playoff win in six years.

In 11 abnormal – the beeline overtime in NFL history – Tebow showed he could be a accepted QB. It was additionally the longest overtime touchdown in playoff history.

"Case closed," McGahee said. "They say he couldn't throw. They said we wouldn't be able to run the brawl on them. We did that. I admiration what they're activity to say abutting week."

The Broncos (9-8) will face the top-seeded Fresh England Patriots (13-3) on Saturday night.

Tom Brady and the Patriots walloped the Broncos 41-23 aftermost month, sending Tebow into a alarm that included seven turnovers and a 40 percent achievement blow – and bidding Broncos bang-up John Elway to appeal him to "pull the trigger" in the playoffs.

Did he ever.

Tebow threw for a season-high 316 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 50 yards and addition account while slicing up the league's top aegis – which was missing its top tackler, Ryan Clark, captivated out because of a claret action that's affronted at altitude.

As Thomas sped bottomward Denver's sideline, several teammates and coaches were tagging forth and would mob him in the end zone. Elway advance his easily into the air like he acclimated to back he was the one engineering all these Broncos comebacks.

Tebow, too, chased bottomward Thomas and knelt on one knee – Tebowing as it's accepted – in the end zone. Then he formed a anchor in celebration and took a achievement lap afterwards his fourth overtime win this season.

"When I saw him scoring, aboriginal of all, I aloof thought, `Thank you, Lord,'" Tebow said. "Then, I was active appealing fast, block him – like I can bolt up to D.T! Then I aloof jumped into the stands, aboriginal time I've done that. That was fun."

Unlike Elway, who absent his aboriginal postseason alpha – to the Steelers at home in 1984 – Tebow is 1-0 in the playoffs.

The Steelers (12-5) absent admitting a bedridden Roethlisberger ambulatory injury-depleted Pittsburgh from a two-touchdown halftime arrears with 10 credibility in the final 10 minutes.

He additionally collection the Steelers into Broncos area in the final minute, but three sacks and a bollix kept them from accepting in acreage ambition range, and Roethlisberger never got to blow the brawl in overtime.

"We were affective it and we had a shot," Roethlisberger said. "Someone got, it acquainted like a finger, on the brawl and agape it out. Afterwards that, you're aggravating to bandy a 70-yard Hail Mary and that's hard."

Thomas additionally had receptions of 51 and 58 yards to set up second-quarter touchdowns afterwards Tebow absent his top target, Eric Decker, to a actively afflicted larboard knee, in the aboriginal half, as the Broncos congenital a 20-6 halftime advance on the heavily advantaged but banged-up Steelers.

"They were the No. 1 aegis and we are the No. 1 breach active the ball," Thomas said. "So, I feel like they capital to accomplish a account and stop the run. I don't apperceive if they forgot about the casual game. The aftermost brace of amateur that we had, we were not casual the brawl that great."

Tebow's passer appraisement of 125.6 was the accomplished in Broncos postseason history. He completed 10 of 21 passes and Thomas hauled in four of them for 204 yards – afterwards no receiver had a 100-yard bold on the Steelers all season.

"It's amazing because I haven't played atomic like I did in academy in a continued time," Thomas said.

These two teams had played the aboriginal anytime regular-season overtime bold on Sept. 22, 1974, in Denver. Now, they played the aboriginal non-sudden afterlife playoff bold in history. The fresh rules alleged for both teams to get the brawl in the added aeon accouterment there wasn't a touchdown by either the breach or defense.

Tebow took affliction of that in a hurry.

Making his aboriginal actualization in the playoffs afterwards activity 7-4 as Denver's starter, Tebow outplayed Roethlisberger, a backstab Super Bowl champ arena on a bad ankle, who fell to 10-4 in the playoffs.

Roethlisberger was 22 for 40 for 289 yards with one TD, one interception and bristles sacks. Tebow wasn't best off or sacked by the league's top defense.

The Broncos acquired aloof 8 yards in the aboriginal division as Tebow looked like he did in animal losses to the Patriots, Bills and Chiefs to abutting the season.

Then, he hit Thomas with his aboriginal big gain, ambience up a 30-yard TD bung to Eddie Royal that put the Broncos advanced 7-6 and activated Denver, which took a 20-6 advance into the locker room.

The Broncos airtight a three-game accident band that had abounding apprehensive if Tebow's time was up and if Denver was alike aces of its aboriginal cruise to the playoffs in six seasons.

"One of the abundant things about our aggregation is we're a aggregation that consistently believes," Tebow said.

Notes: This was the Broncos' additional playoff win back Elway retired afterward his additional beeline Super Bowl celebration in 1999, and their aboriginal back Jan. 14, 2006, back they handed Tom Brady his aboriginal playoff loss. The Broncos absent to the Steelers the afterward week. ... This was the aboriginal OT playoff bold back the Saints exhausted the Vikings 31-28 in the NFC championship on Jan. 24, 2010. ... Broncos drillmaster John Fox was the drillmaster in Carolina back Steve Smith set the antecedent almanac for the longest overtime TD, a 69-yarder from Jake Delhomme to exhausted St. Louis 29-23 on the aboriginal comedy of the additional overtime on Jan. 10, 2004.