We Have Learned Nothing About Tebow

Austen's Goal Line Stand

Let's not crown Tim Tebow just yet.

Sorry to keep talking about Tim Tebow, but in a week with some of the worst matchups so far this season, Tebow scoring 18 unanswered points against the Dolphins in the last five minutes of the game and overtime is one of the biggest storylines. While his performance at the end of the game to give the Broncos their second win of the season was impressive, it was a true team performance that got them back in that game. Whether that was a team meshing at the right time or Tebow's leadership skills rallying this team, we will never know, but the Broncos did not win this game because of Tebow's performance on the field.

With 5:23 left on the clock, Tebow was 4/14 for 40 yards. That is a horrible performance for any quarterback with any amount of experience. He was throwing up passes that were so far away from his receivers that there were no defenders around to intercept the ball, which was the only reason he did not turn the ball over during this game. His receivers were getting wide open against an awful Dolphins defense and he still could not complete a pass, even when he had tons of time in the pocket.

Despite his struggles throughout most of the game, Tebow led his team right down the field for a fast 80-yard touchdown drive to get his team back in the game. He made a few good passes, but nothing overly impressive. His receivers stepped up for him and caught a lot of off-target passes and made great plays after the catch.

Then the Broncos' special teams saved the game for Tebow by recovering an onside kick. Had the Broncos not gotten the ball back, the Dolphins would have won the game and people would be questioning if Tebow could ever be a winning quarterback. However, they recovered the ball and gave Tebow his chance to shine.

On the final drive of the fourth quarter, Tebow made some plays, mostly with his feet, and got the score all tied up with seconds left to spare. Most of his throws on that drive were sloppy and inaccurate, but his receivers again came up with big catches. He did a great job getting into the end zone for the two-point conversion to tie the game at 15, but we all knew that Tebow is an extremely athletically-gifted runner.

In overtime, Tebow and the Broncos' offense did absolutely nothing and were bailed out by their defense, which came away with a fumble recovery in field goal range. After the fumble, the Broncos did not move the ball at all and Matt Prater hit a 52-yard field goal. That is a lot to ask of a guy who missed his only other two attempts on the day. However, he came through for his team and got them a win.

Sorry to break down basically the entire game, but if you could not tell, I was not really impressed with Tebow's performance in this game. He made about 4-5 good plays all game long and missed on many more opportunities to make big plays, which is what caused them to need a total meltdown by one of the worst teams in the NFL in order to come away with a win.

Tebow's biggest assets are his running abilities and his leadership skills, and both were crucial in the Broncos win this week. However, Tebow's biggest flaw is his inability to locate and hit open receivers, which was one of the main reason the Broncos were shutout for almost 55 minutes of play. Tebow showed he can beat one of the worst teams in the NFL if his team helps him out, but that is not much of a statement. He is certainly a fun player to watch and a great guy, but his performance against the Dolphins proved nothing that we did not already know. Watching Tebow play against a much improved Lions defense will be a good test to see how far along he has come in his first season and a half in the NFL.