I introduced Tim Tebow to any Chiefs fans that were unfamiliar with the new quarterback before our week 10 matchup against the Denver Broncos. It turned out that the Chiefs were just one of seven Tebow victims this season, and helped get the Tebow train rolling. But now the Chiefs get a chance at revenge this Sunday in Denver, and although the Chiefs have no playoff incentive, keeping Tim Tebow out of the playoffs might be reward enough (although, I'd almost rather see the Broncos in then the hated Raiders).
Win, lose or draw with the Broncos, there is something that Tim Tebow is doing that Chiefs quarterbacks could hardly ever dream of. And no matter your thoughts or opinions on the man, you can't look past his amazing stats in the 4th quarter and overtime, and the comebacks he is leading Denver to.
Tim Tebow has lead the Broncos to 3 game-tying drives within the final two minutes of the game (Miami, San Diego, and Chicago). 2 of those game tying drives lead to scores with 17 seconds left or fewer (Miami, and Chicago). In all three overtime games, Tim Tebow lead his team to a game winning field goal. In his other four wins, Tebow has trailed or was tied in three of them at the start of the 4th quarter (only game Broncos didn't trail was against the Chiefs). In all three, Tebow took over in the fourth quarter, scoring two unanswered touchdowns against the Raiders, running in for a game-winning TD against the Jets, and then tying and eventually winning as time expired against the Vikings. The improbabilities of his wins have stumped a lot of people, including ESPN Stats and Info every week, which lead them to write about just how improbable Tebow's streak was.
All-in-all, Tim Tebow has lead the Broncos to six 4th quarter or overtime winning drives. The Chiefs have been quite the opposite this season. The Chiefs have one game-winning drive in the 4th quarter, week 5 against the Indianapolis Colts when the Chiefs trailed 21-24 with about five minutes left in the game. And then, the Chiefs have one overtime winning drive, against the San Diego Chargers, in week 8 on Monday Night Football. These two wins aren't bad, but the Chiefs have had more opportunities that they couldn't cash in on.
In week 3 against the Chargers, the Chiefs had the ball and were marching down the field for either the game-winning or game-tying score. Instead, Matt Cassel threw that inconceivable interception on a screen pass attempt, and the game ended with a Philip Rivers kneel down. Even in the Chiefs overtime win against the Chargers, San Diego had the ball ready for a game-winning field goal if it wasn't for the magical botched snap. The Chiefs also had several of opportunities against the Broncos, trailing by only 3 points at the start of the 4th. The Chiefs would then again have opportunities against the Chargers, which ended with a Tyler Palko interception with little time remaining, and then again last week against the Raiders, when Orton had lead the team to a game-winning field goal try that ended in a blocked attempt.
In total, the Chiefs have been outscored 75-68 in the 4th quarter of games this season. Since Tim Tebow took over as the starter for the Broncos in week 7, Denver has outscored their opponents 84-59 in the 4th quarter, and, before their blowout loss to the Bill last week, were up 84-42 in the 4th quarter. And if you include the 4th quarter of the game he took over for Kyle Orton against the Chargers in week 5, then the total number is outscoring their opponents 98-65.
For the Chiefs to have over six 4th quarter or overtime winning drives, you have to go all the way back to week 13 of the 2008 season, when the Chiefs were tied at Oakland at the start of the 4th quarter. They then did it in 2009 against both the Washington Redskins (Todd Haley's first win) and the Pittsburgh Steelers in overtime. Twice last year, against Cleveland and Buffalo, and then the two times I already mentioned this season.
In the last decade, the most 4th quarter comebacks or overtime wins the Chiefs have in the same season was in 2003, when the team had four (Baltimore, Denver, Green Bay and Oakland). And the Chiefs haven't had more than two in the same season since 2006, Trent Green's final year in Kansas City.
Say what you want about Tim Tebow; he might be coming off two blowout losses to playoff teams New England and Detroit, but he's done something beyond unheard of. He's winning games in spectacular fashion and when it matters most. He takes slim chances and makes them highlights.
But the Chiefs are not going to roll over when it comes to the Broncos this weekend. Romeo Crennel has already made that clear. Plus, let's not forget about Kyle Orton's return to Denver. The Chiefs players at the time aren't the only ones out for revenge. “When you look at it, we don’t want to be in the situation that we’re in and that’s disappointing,” Orton said. “The fact remains that in the NFL that you get 16 weeks to prove yourself to your teammates and that’s not a lot of chances.
“That’s how I’m going to look at it. It’s just another week for me to come out and prove my preparation and play to my teammates.” And to the Broncos of course.
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