The divisional playoffs, if you think about it, make for the most complete weekend of highly competitive football games possible. One week removed from the wild card, the weak teams have been squeezed out, and those who made it past the first round go on to face their respective conference’s best two regular season teams.
Here’s what to expect for the AFC divisional playoffs this week.
Saturday 8:00 PM EST, Gilette Stadium, Foxboro, Massachusetts
The NFL couldn’t have gotten anything better.
Tim Tebow, a first-round, second-year quarterback who’s trying to prove himself, up against Tom Brady, a seventh-round, 12-year quarterback who, with three rings and two NFL MVP awards, doesn’t need to..
John Fox, a 12-year head coach looking to redeem himself after long-time employer Carolina Panthers chose to let him walk, up against Bill Belichick, the undisputed best head coach in football who could retire tomorrow and stroll into the hall of fame.
Josh McDaniels, the former head coach of the Denver Broncos who was blasted by the media after trading up to draft Tebow in the first round, now reunited with his former mentor in Belichick and coaching against Tebow and the team that fired hiim.
Denver’s ninth ranked defense lined up against New England’s second-best overall offense.
David versus Goliath.
Good versus Bad.
If there is anyone more despised in the NFL for the attention he gets from the sports media than Tim Tebow, it’s Tom Brady. Tebow’s a self-proclaimed virgin and devout Christian. Brady has a child out of wedlock and is married to one of (if not the) most recognizable super models in the world. Tebow has dominated Sportscenter since September 18, 2011. Brady since September 23, 2001.
And coming off that wildcard game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tebow is starting to look like he can give the people what they want. After dropping the last three games of the season (and backing into the playoffs due to a weak division), in which he completed just 30 of his 73 passes for a combined 439 yards, 4 interceptions and just 1 touchdown, the media that once loved him turned against him. They picked apart his technique and decision-making, called his earlier six-game win streak a fluke, and doubted his chances in the playoffs.
Maybe that’s exactly what he needed. Tebow responded to his doubters with 316 yards (Tebow: 316) and two touchdowns, including the 80-yard bomb to Demaryius Thomas that won the game on the first play of overtime. That all overshadowed the 50-yard, 1 touchdown rushing performance he racked up throughout the game.
Suddenly, that guy everyone was pulling for was back.
Coming off that performance against the league’s top defense, Tebow looks poised to blow up this Sunday against New England’s last-ranked defense. The Patriots give up an average of 293.9 passing yards per game, ranking only ahead of the Green Bay Packers. Their defensive secondary has, at times, featured third-string wide receive Julian Edelman. If Tebow could do that against Troy Polamalu and the Steelers defense, just imagine what he should be able to do against the Patriots scout team.
But as much as you can say about the Patriots defense, it isn’t really a problem. All season, opponents have run up big leads against New England, only to watch Mr. I’ve Been There Tom Brady step onto the field and erase it within minutes. In the Patriots’ last two games, the defense has given up quick 21-point leads to the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins, who rank significantly ahead of the Broncos in overall defense. The results of each of those games?
Week 16: Miami Dolphins – 24, New England Patriots – 27
Week 17: Buffalo Bills – 21, New England Patriots – 49
Then there’s the week before those games, when these two teams actually lined up against each other. After falling behind 16-7 in the second quarter, the Patriots outscored the Broncos 34 to 7 through the end of the game.
The one similarity between these two teams is that neither plays an actually sustainable style of football. No team that relies on a running quarterback as much as the Broncos do has been successful in about 40 years, and any team that consistently lets the lead get away from them before reclaiming it later on is treading on thin ice.
The only way Denver will win is if their rushing game can burn the clock and keep Brady and company on the sideline. And the only way New England will win is if their defense can get Brady and company back on the field, because that’s apparently all the offense needs in order to score.
The only thing for sure, though, is that neither of these quarterbacks can be counted out in the last few minutes of the game. Hopefully that’s what we get to see.
— Colin Neagle (@colinneagle)
