Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos ran into the powerful Bears defense and, for 58 minutes, the Bears were the immovable object. But nobody owns the last two minutes like Tebow and the Broncos, and they were able to rally to yet another come-from-behind victory as the Broncos defeated the Bears 13-10 in overtime.
The Broncos are now 7-1 with Tebow as a starter after a 1-4 start, with 3 of those 7 victories coming in overtime. They are also in first place in the AFC West, with a 1-game lead and a tie breaker over the Oakland Raiders, since the Raiders fell to the Patriots today. And if the Broncos get into the playoffs, who knows what could happen?
The Broncos defense and the Bears defense both played shut down football, as the game was scoreless for the first 40 minutes until the Bears scored on a 9-yard touchdown run by Marion Barber. Early in the fourth quarter, the Bears increased their lead to 10 points on a 57-yard field goal by Robbie Gould.
But the fourth quarter is truly Tebow Time. After being flummoxed for much of the day, Denver got the ball back with 4:34 left in the game and down 10-0, but they’ve been there before. The Broncos marched down the field in 2-and-a-half minutes to score on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Tebow to Demaryius Thomas. Tebow was 7 for 7 on the drive, for 63 yards and a TD.
The Bears got the ball back with 2:08 on the clock and could have run out the game clock with a couple of first downs, but the Broncos defense came up big again and held the Bears to a three-and-out, giving Tebow and the offense one more shot with 0:53 left on the clock from their own 20.
Tebow was able to drive the Broncos to the 41-yard line, where Matt Prater hit a clutch game-tying 59-yard field goal with 0:03 left on the clock. Then, on their first possession in overtime, the Broncos were able to get into Bears territory where Prater hit the game winner from 51-yards, nailing two clutch 50+ yard field goals to tie and win the game.
Tebow was ineffective for the first half against the Bears defense, but finished the day 21 of 40 for 236 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT, and also added 12 carries for 49 yards, as they relied heavily on him in the running game as well. The Broncos managed 124 yards rushing behind Tebow’s 49 and 34 yards from Willis McGahee.
Broncos head coach John Fox raved about Tebow’s performance with the game on the line. “He’s really good in the clutch,” Fox said. “In my opinion, he has competitive greatness. He wants the ball in clutch time.”
Tebow acknowledged the complement, but shared the spotlight with his teammates, as clearly the defense and kicker Matt Prater all stepped up big in crunch time. The whole team seems to believe in Tebow, giving them the confidence when the game is on the line. Tebow referred to what coach Urban Meyer at Florida called “competitive excellence.”
“When your number’s called, when it really matters, you’re going to step up,” Tebow said. “Coach Fox called it ‘competitive greatness.’ It pretty much means the same thing. When your number’s called in clutch time, you better step up and make the play in crunch time. A lot of the guys on this team are like that.”
The Bears played tough, and Caleb Hanie had his first error free game as a starter. After throwing 6 interceptions in his first 2 starts, he was 12 of 19 for 115 yards with no picks today. The Bears also managed 159 yards rushing, with Marion Barber leading the way with 108 yards on 27 carries and the 1 TD. The Bears also sacked Tebow 5 times in the game, but in the end, the Broncos generated just enough offense to pull out the victory.
Next up, the division-leading Broncos face the 10-3 New England Patriots, which will provide another tough test for the scrappy Broncos. But with a one-and-a-half game lead over the Raiders, the Broncos look like a solid shot to take the division.
The Bears have now fallen to 7-6 and look to be slipping out of playoff contention. Since losing starting quarterback Jay Cutler they have dropped three straight games and, after Seattle next weekend, they have to travel to the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field for a December game against the undefeated Packers.
