Tommy Boy

Saturday night, Brady looked as sharp as
ever and forced people to talk about
  him even when they still wanted
to discuss Tim Tebow.

Not use to playing second fiddle to anyone, much less a second-year quarterback, New England Patriots' Tom Brady made sure that didn't happen Saturday.

In their highly anticipated rematch with the Denver Broncos, New England's offense came out firing on all cylinders. Brady threw two first quarter touchdowns, which was significant given the fact he had only throw one first quarter touchdown in his last 11 postseason first quarters.

It was the beginning of a record-setting night for a determined Brady-led offense.

Loser of three consecutive playoff games, including the last two coming in Gillette Stadium, and many saying the two-time league MVP's postseason mystic had faded, Brady threw a NFL postseason record five touchdowns in the first half, giving New England a commanding 35-7 lead at the half.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Brady is the last quarterback to throw five first half touchdowns
in any game, regular season or postseason. That game coming in Week 6 of the 2009-10 season in a 59-0 pounding of then-winless Tennessee Titans.

Finishing the game with a record-tying 6 TD passes and 363 yards, Brady continues to cement his legacy as one of the greatest field generals in NFL history. His 36 career postseason TD passes are third most all-time, trailing only Joe Montana (45) and Brett Favre (44) and the most by a quarterback in franchise history. Brady's 363 passing yards are also a franchise record for the most in a single playoff game.

The former sixth-round pick now has throw a touchdown pass in 18 consecutive postseason games, second only to Brett Favre's 20.

Three of Brady's six touchdowns came with tight end Rob Gronkowski at the receiving end, tying a postseason record for the most receiving touchdowns in a postseason game.

Gronkowski, who caught a record and league leading 17 TDs this season, was one of three tight ends on the day to total 100-plus receiving yards and catch two touchdown passes, but the only one to catch three TDs. There has been only one other tight end to accomplish these feats in the last 25 years.

Miami's Keith Jackson was the last to do so, catching 8 passes from Hall of Famer Dan Marino for 109 yards and two scores in their 22-21 Divisional Round loss to the San Diego Chargers in January of 1995.

If that weren't enough, Brady and head coach Bill Belichick surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famers Terry Bradshaw and Chuck Noll for the most postseason wins for a quarterback-head coach tandem with 15.

Earlier this year Brady and Belichick eclipsed Marino and Don Shula for the most wins (124) for a quarterback-head coach duo in NFL history.

It was the second time Belichick got the best of Denver's John Fox in the postseason. The first was in Super Bowl XXXVIII, when Fox was the head coach of the Carolina Panthers.

While New England's historic season will continue, the Broncos and Tim Tebow's magical, improbable and unconventional run will not. Never holding a lead in their eventual 45-10 loss, Denver looked outmatched from the get-go on the Patriots' opening 5-play, 80-yard, touchdown drive.

It was the Broncos' inability to matchup and tackle tight ends Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. In the teams two meetings this season both of New England's tight ends combined for 443 total yards and 5 TDs.

Meeting with Coach Belichick postgame, it was
a long night for Tebow and Co.

One wrinkle the Patriots incorporated in their offense Saturday was offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien, who recently accepted the head coaching job at Penn State, lined Hernandez up in the back field, having him carry the ball five times, including a 43-yard carry that step up Brady's first touchdown pass.

New England's defense also decided to show up, recording 14 plays for negative yardage. That is most in a playoff game since 2007, when the Pittsburgh Steelers also had 14 plays dip into the red in their wild card loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Overall, for a player that experienced so much criticism before starting an NFL game, the 2011-12 season was a success for Tebow.

Tebow took over a 1-4 Bronco team, lead to a six-game-winning streak, five fourth quarter comebacks, including three overtime victories, an AFC West title and unbelievably dramatic overtime win on Wild Card Weekend against the defending AFC Champion Steelers.

Whatever the future holds for Tebow, he has proven one thing already, he can win in the NFL. And in the end that's all that matters.

Just ask Tom Brady.

Mile High Miracle

Tebow has the Broncos one win away for the
AFC Championship game.

The magic is back.

Led by the best game in quarterback Tim Tebow's career, the Denver Broncos outlasted the defending AFC Champion Pittsburgh Steelers in a thrilling overtime matchup to wrap up Wild Card weekend in dramatic fashion.

After Denver scored 20-second quarter points and taking a 20-6 to lead into the locker room at the half, the Steelers responded like true champions do, scoring 10 points in the final ten minutes of regulation and knotted the game at 23 points apiece. The Pittsburgh defense forced only the fourth Bronco punt of the game, giving Ben Roethlisberger and Co. one last chance to seal an improbable comeback victory.

However, just when it look as if the Steelers offense was in position to kick a game-winning field goal and end Tebow's magical run, Denver defensive Elvis Dumervil got his hand on the football, forcing the two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback to fumble and take them out of field goal range.

On the drive, Roethlisberger was sacked three times by the Denver defense, giving running back Willis McGahee, whose fourth quarter fumble led to the game-tying TD for Pittsburgh, a chance at redemption.

In the first non-sudden death overtime in NFL postseason history, McGahee wouldn't get that chance, letting Tebow and wideout Demaryius Thomas take care of the rest.

After winning the coin toss and electing to receive, the Bronco offense would take the field for the final time at Sports Authority Field this season. On the first play of extra period and for only the second time in the game, Tebow threw on first down, completing the pass to Thomas, who ran 80 yards to the end zone, sending everyone, including Hall of Famer John Elway, in Mile High into a frenzy.

Tebow "pulled the trigger" alright.

The play took 11 seconds, which marked the shortest overtime period in NFL history, regular season or postseason. Not to mention the fact it was also the longest TD pass in overtime history.

The 80-yard TD pass from Tebow was the longest of his young career and tied him with Elway for the longest TD pass in Bronco postseason history. Elway accomplished that feat twice in his career, each of them coming in a different decade.

Thomas finished the game with 4 catches for 204 yards and a TD. Dick LaBeau's defense hadn't allowed a 100-yard receiver all season long. Thomas totaled that many yards in the second quarter alone.

In now seven games this season, Tebow has throw and rushed for a TD. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Tebow is only the third quarterback in the Super Bowl era to throw for 300-plus yards without throwing an interception and record a rushing TD in a postseason game.

Completing only 10 passes, Tebow is the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to throw for 300 or more yards while completing that many passes or fewer in the playoffs.

Tebow also becomes the third quarterback in postseason history to score a rushing TD against the  storied and vaunted Steeler defense. The other two are Ken Stabler and the late Steve McNair.

Tebow averaged 31.6 yards a completion and completed three passes of 50 yards or more. Since the 1970 AFL-NFL Merger, he becomes the first quarterback in postseason history to do so. Not only was Tebow's 316 passing yards a season-high, but a career-high, breaking one of Elway's franchise records, the most passing yards (123) in a playoff debut in franchise history.

Elway set that record in 1983 when his team lost 31-7 at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks. However, in 1984, Elway's first postseason start, he lost to Pittsburgh, unlike Tebow.

Since the start of the quarterback rating era, beginning in 2008, the second-year quarterback's QBR of 97.3 on Sunday is the highest total in a playoff game, narrowly edging Aaron Rodgers' 97.2. A mark he set just a year ago in Green Bay's 48-21 win over the Atlanta Falcons.

Thomas stiff arming Pittsburgh's Ike Taylor

on his 80-yard overtime TD reception.

It truly has been a magical run for this unselfish Denver team.

They are only the fifth team in NFL history to make the postseason after a 2-5 start. The Broncos are also only one of eight teams since the merger to reach the postseason after losing their final three games of the regular season, but now head to East in a rematch with the always dangerous New England Patriots.

New England is responsible for ending Denver's six-game winning streak this season when they visited Mile High in Week 15. There Tom Brady and Co. torched the Bronco secondary, 41-23.

In their franchise history, the Patriots hold an 11-3 record at home in the postseason, but two of those three loses have come in Foxborough the last two years. Former Bronco head coach Josh McDaniels, who was recently rehired by the Patriots to fill the offensive coordinator position that will be vacated by Bill O'Brien at season's end, is responsible for drafting both Tebow and Thomas.

In the NFL, Tebow, who is known as a devout Christian, he is unable to display his usual John 3:16 on his eye black, something he did often at Florida, but still finds away to spread the word. Oddly enough his passing yardage for the game totaled 316 and his yards per completion at 31.6.

Also worth noting, the four officials on the field in Denver Sunday bare the first names, John, Luke, Matthew and Mark, all names in the Bible. Coincidence? Maybe.

But if you're not a believer, you better start. God Bless.

WIld Card Weekend Preview: Sunday

After experiencing a lockout, so much uncertain and a record-breaking regular season, the NFL now reaches the postseason with some of the most unlikely of teams ready to crash the postseason party.

Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants:
A year after the Atlanta Falcons seized the No. 1 seed in the NFC at 13-3, won their first NFC South title since 2004 and were upended by the Green Bay Packers at home, 48-21, they are back. This time their dreams of getting to the Super Bowl takes a much different route.

After trading five picks to draft him, Jones
has become one of the most explosive
receivers in the game.

The Falcons will being playing on Wild Card weekend, something they did not do last season, but quarterback Matt Ryan is ready for the challenge of facing a tough New York Giants defense and recording his first win in the postseason. Ryan enjoyed yet another stellar season down South, tossing for 4,177 yards, 29 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions. This time around Ryan has an offensive weapon he didn't have a year ago.

Rookie wideout Julio Jones struggled to get acclimated to the NFL, but he and Ryan seemed to have clicked at the right time. During the final month of the regular season, Ryan threw 10 TD passes, six of those Jones was on the receiving end.

Jones' 7 receptions of 40-plus yards this season tied him for fourth most in the NFL. The development of Jones can be attributed to veteran presence of  tight end and future Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez.

Gonzalez is making his fifth trip to the postseason and is 0-4 in his previous four career playoff games. Gonzalez's 238 career games without a postseason win are the second most in NFL history and the most among position players. Detroit's kicker Jason Hanson's 311 games is the most all-time.

Ryan's offensive line has been heavily criticized this season by numerous teams, saying they play after the whistle. New York's Jason Tuck made reference to them being 'dirtbags' earlier in the week. Whatever they are, they know they are faced with daunting task, taking on one of the game's most premiere front four and protecting their quarterback.

The Atlanta offensive line was only penalized 25 times this season, the fewest among this year's playoff teams.

As for their defense, Atlanta will need to be able to put pressure on Eli Manning and force them to run the football. Pro Bowl cornerback Brent Grimes will play on Sunday, which could help contain wideouts Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks.

At the start of the NFL season, Manning was asked if he was an elite quarterback. He responded by saying yes with many raising their eyebrows as if his dramatic Super Bowl XLII comeback wasn't enough. Well, this season Manning did his best to back up his words.

The eight-year veteran led the Giants to the NFC East title and a 9-7 record this season. A season that saw New York beat the hated Dallas Cowboys twice and their crosstown rival New York Jets in a must-win game on Christmas Eve.

Manning narrowly missed being the fifth quarterback in NFL history and fourth of the 2011-12 season to pass for 5,000 yards, finishing the year with 4,933. However, his 15 fourth-quarter touchdowns passes this year are a NFL record and something he might cherish even more.

A lot of Manning' success this season can be attributed to the breakout campaign that Cruz enjoyed.

In only his second-year in the NFL, Cruz led the team in receptions (82), yards (1,536) and TDs (9). But his 5 receptions of 65-plus yards this season are the most since 1951, when the Ram's Elroy Hirsch accomplished that feat.

While the offense has accomplished a lot this year, it's New York's defense that holds the key to a deep playoff run in the Big Apple. With a weak secondary, the Giants have been able to avoid being torched every Sunday with arguably the most formidable front four in the NFL.

Pierre-Paul (90) has made his presence
felt this season.

In the final two games of the season, New York's defense recorded 11 sacks, by far the most during that time period. Jason Pierre-Paul, who was a first time Pro Bowl selection in 2011 and voted to his first of what could be many first-team All-Pro squads, may be their best defensive player.

Atlanta finished the year with a 4-4 record on the road and have a 3-game road losing streak in the postseason. However, New York recorded a 4-4 at home this season are in the midst of a 2-game home losing streak in the postseason.

Something's gotta give.

ATL X-Factor: Julio Jones


NYG X-Factor: Jason Pierre-Paul


New York, 27-21


Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos:
As if the Pittsburgh Steelers need an introduction. Everyone already knows they are owners of six Super Bowl championship, the most in NFL history, have played in three of the last six Super Bowls and are the defending AFC Champions. But this is a much different Pittsburgh team heading into their road playoff game against the magical and unexplainable Tim Tebow-led Denver Broncos.

The Steelers, while they still have the No. 1 ranked defense in the NFL, have been riddled by injuries and limb into Mile High, literally. Two-time Super Bowl champion Ben Roethlisberger has been hampered by an ankle sprain and will not be 100 percent when he takes the field.

Polamalu has been a game changer throughout
 his career and will need to be Sunday
in Denver.

Throughout his career, Roethlisberger's strength has been using his mobility and extending the play long enough to make something happen. His sore ankle has made him unable to do that as effectively and will play a huge factor on Sunday.

Despite the injury, he threw for more than 4,000 yards this season with 21 TDs.

Pittsburgh will also be without leading-rusher Rashard Mendenhall, who suffered a torn ACL the final week of the season. So second-year back Isaac Redman, who has only rushed for 729 yards in his young career, will need to carry the load.

But in the midst of the biggest game of Redman's career, running backs coach Kirby Wilson will not be on the sideline after suffering significant burns in a house fire earlier in the week.

The injury list continues with Pro Bowl center Marukice Pouncey, who was a teammate of Tebow's at Florida. Pouncey is also dealing with an ankle injury and has been ruled out for the game. The last time Pittsburgh played a playoff game without Pouncey snapping the ball, Super Bowl XLV, where they lost to the Green Bay Packers, 31-25.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Steel Curtain will be without safety and the commander-in-chief of the defense Ryan Clark. Clark led the team with 100 tackles, but will not play in the high altitude air in Denver because of the potential danger to his health.

Fellow safety Troy Polamalu will need to take that leadership role and become the quarterback of the defense in Clark's absence.

Pittsburgh allowed 100-plus rushing yards in three of their four losses this season and will be presented with the task of stop the top rushing offense in the league.

The Broncos started the season 1-4 with Kyle Orton under center, but in Week 5 head coach John Fox pulled Orton with his team trailing by 16 points in the fourth-quarter against San Diego and gave the reigns to Tebow. Tebow nearly led an improbable comeback, but came up short, 29-24.

Following Denver's Bye Week, Tebow started in Miami and orchestrated the first of his five fourth quarter comebacks this season, including three coming in overtime.

In his first eight starts this season, Tebow led the Broncos to a 7-1 mark, including a 6-game winning streak. However, Tebow hasn't faired well in his team's final three games of the regular season, but snuck into the postseason and find themselves facing the vaunted Steelers defense.

As the Broncos were the second worst passing team in the NFL, averaging 152.1 yards per game, they were the top rushing offense in the league. Denver averaged 164.5 rushing yards per game this season, relying veteran on Willis McGahee to use the clock.

Earlier this year, Prater kicked a 59-year
 field goal to tie a game in a eventual
win against the Chicago Bears.

Kicker Matt Prater also played a major role in Denver's winning streak earlier this year, kicking numerous field goals that either tied the game or gave win them the win.

Even though the statistics will not back it up, Denver's defense developed into one of the game's best and will play a major factor against Pittsburgh. Rookie linebacker Von Miller is the favorite to land the Defensive Rookie of the Year honor and played out of his mind the second half of the season.

Miller finishes his rookie campaign with 64 tackles, 2 forced fumbles and 11.5 sacks.

The Broncos will be without veteran safety Brian Dawkins, who is suffering from a neck injury, but will have one of the best cover corner the game has ever seen. Champ Bailey is one of only two remaining members of the Broncos team that lost to Steelers in the AFC Championship game in 2005. Bailey is out for revenge.

PIT X-Factor: Troy Polamalu


DEN X-Factor: Matt Prater


Denver, 17-13

Wild-Card Weekend Preview: Saturday

After experiencing a lockout, so much uncertain and a record-breaking regular season, the NFL now reaches the postseason with some of the most unlikely of teams ready to crash the postseason party.


Cincinnati Bengals at Houston Texans:
Led by the young dynamic duo of rookies Andy Dalton and A.J. Green, the Cincinnati Bengals roar into Houston, looking to avenge a last second lost to the Texans earlier in the year. After finishing the 2010 season a disappointing 4-12, head coach Marvin Lewis made some changes this season, trading veterans Chad Ochocinco (New England) and Carson Palmer (Oakland) and replacing them with new toys. Cincinnati is one of the three teams representing the AFC North in the postseason after finishing the year with 9-7, good enough for their 11th playoff berth in franchise history.

Veteran Nate Clements (22) will get his first
taste of the postseason Saturday in Houston.

Dalton, who was fresh off his BCS Rose Bowl win prior to being drafted by the Bengals, impressed everyone this season, passing for 3,398 yards with 20 touchdowns and only 13 interceptions. There seems to be no question Dalton would have been this Offensive Rookie of the Year if not for the unbelievable season of Carolina's Cam Newton.

Green is also in that discussion after recording 65 receptions. for 1,057 yard and 7 TDs.

On the down side, Dalton, a Texan native, did lead the league with the most passes being either batted down or defended with 79, including eight of those coming in their Dec. 11 loss to Houston.

As for the defense, Cincinnati may have only intercepted 10 passes all year, ranking them 26th in the NFL, but they did hold opponent passers to only 211.6 yards per game (9th) and rushers to 104.7, good enough for 10th in the league.

Cornerback Nate Clements will be playing in first time career playoff game after playing more than a decade in the league before doing so.

The Texans on the other hand, have struggled offensively this season. Given some of the most dynamic offensive players in the game today, they were unable to stay on the field. Pro Bowl wideout Andre Johnson played in only 7 games this season with a hamstring injury and is probable for his matchup with Cincinnati.

Last year's leading-rusher, Arian Foster has also battled the injury bug, only played in 13 games. He is also listed as probable, last playing on Dec. 22, meaning Foster will be well rested for the Texans first playoff game in franchise history. Quarterbacks Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart both suffered season-ending injuries almost simultaneously this season, leaving the duties up to rookie T.J. Yates.

Despite Yates orchestrating a 13-play, 80-yard game-winning drive in the final 2:33 against the Bengals, he is the most unpolished of the two rookie quarterbacks starting on Saturday and will need a boost from his defense to send Houston fans home happy.

Johnson is said to be available for 45-50 snaps
on Saturday,  maybe  giving Yates just
enough to come away with a win.

The Texans led the NFL in passes batted down (19) and defended (94) to go along with 17 interceptions. Even though Houston's defense has been without Pro Bowler Mario Williams much of the season, defensive end Antonio Smith and 2009 Defensive Rookie of the Year, Brian Cushing will be ready to go.

CIN X-Factor: Nate Clements

HOU X-Factor: Andre Johnson


Cincinnati, 21-17


Detroit Lions at New Orleans Saints:
If you want offense, then Detroit visiting New Orleans should not be a disappointment. The Detroit Lions are making their first playoff appearance since 1999 and have drawn quite the opponent. Facing one of the best offenses in NFL history, the Lions offense is not something to sleep on.

Led by a healthy Matthew Stafford, who threw for 5,038 this season, and the superstar receiver Calvin Johnson, Detroit can score with the best of 'em. Averaging 300.9 passing yards per game, ranking them fourth in the league, the Lions offense will need to get off to fast start to keep pace with New Orleans.

Johnson, a.k.a Megatron, will need to have
 a big game if the Lions are to upset New
Orleans in the Superdome.

Selecting almost unanimously as a first team All-Pro, Johnson lead the NFL with 1,681 yards while hauling in 16 TDs, which ranked second.

However, Detroit's running game hasn't been as enjoyable to watch. Losing running back Javid Best for the season, the Lions struggled rushing the football, ranking 29th in the league in yards per game, averaging only 95. 2. Best finished as the team's leading rusher with 390 yards, but only played in six games, speaking volumes about a poor Detroit run game.

They have since relied on veterans Maurice Morries and Kevin Smith to carry the load, rushing for 672 yards, combined.

Third-year head coach Jim Schwartz will need to rely on his defense to help hold down the Saints high offensive attack. Pro Bowler Ndamukong Suh and Kyle Vanden Bosch will need to be able to apply pressure on Saints' quarterback Drew Brees and force turnovers early and often. While the team's two leading tacklers, Stephen Tolluch and DeAndre Levy will need to prevent the Saints' receivers from getting into the open field.


It will be the first time that two quarterbacks who finished the regular season with 5,000-plus yards will square off in a postseason game. Brees eclipsed the 5,000-yard plateau for the second time in his career, but this time he had unfinished business to attend to. After falling 15 yards shy of breaking Hall of Famer Dan Marino's single-season passing mark (5,084) in 2008, Brees made sure history wouldn't repeat itself.

The former San Diego Charger passed for 5,476 yards this season, shattering Marino's 27-year record. He also set the single-season record for completions (468) and completion percentage (71.2). Now nearly two years removed from his first championship, Brees leads one of the most dangerous offenses into this year's postseason. New Orleans' 7,474 total offensive yards this season surpassed the Rams' 7075 total they set in 2000, giving them the most productive offense in league history.

Their offense finished the year second in points (547) and points per game (34.2) behind only the Aaron Rodgers-led Green Bay Packers.

However, the Saints averaged 41.1 points per game at home, where they were 8-0 this season and will be Saturday when they welcome in Detroit.

The versatile game of running back Darren Sproles will play a major factor in New Orleans' road back to the Super Bowl. Signing as a free agent this past offseason, Sproles left the only organization he had ever know in San Diego and bolted for Louisiana. Under the offensive-minded genius of head coach Sean Payton, Sproles set the NFL record for most all-purpose yards in a single season with 2,696, making former first-round draft pick, Reggie Bush, a thing of the past.

Sproles is more dangerous than even Reggie
Bush was in Payton's offense.

Second-year tight end Jimmy Graham also enjoyed a fantastic year, catching 99 passes and scored 11 TDs. His 1,310 receiving yards had been the most by a tight end in a single season, that was until New England's Rob Gronkowski broke the mark less than an hour after Graham had set it.

There is no question the New Orleans offense can play with anyone in the game, but it will be Gregg Williams' blitz-happy defense that will need to play light outs if the Saints want to relive 2009.

DET X-Factor: Calvin Johnson


NO X-Factor: Darren Sproles


New Orleans, 45-28