Tim Tebow: Broncos' QB Can Still Call 2011 a Success Despite Pitiful Finish

Tim Tebow should not be watching ESPN this week.

The next six days are going to be filled with analysts talking about how awful Tebow played in the Denver Broncos' 7-3 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Those analysts would be right. Tebow was 6-of-22 for 60 yards with an interception and a lost fumble in quite possibly his worst performance of the season. His accuracy was flat out awful and it added about five gallons of fuel to the anti-Tebow camp.

But a funny thing happened on Sunday. The Broncos still were the team smiling when the clock hit 0:00. Thanks to the Oakland Raiders, the Broncos (8-8) win the tiebreakers and are the AFC West champs.

Let that settle in for a second. A team that was 1-4 and going absolutely nowhere decided to bench their starting quarterback and replace him with Tebow. It is now going to the playoffs for the first time since 2006.

No. 15 had one of the greatest comebacks of all-time in his first start of the season, an 18-15 OT win over the Miami Dolphins, as the phrase "Tebow Time" was born.

Then the New York Jets last-minute comeback happened. Then the San Diego Chargers comeback. Then the Vikings and the Bears.

There was a month stretch starting in the middle of November that could be turned into an hour documentary on the NFL Network. It was historic. After throwing nothing but ducks and duds for three quarters, he magically transformed in the fourth quarter.

SNL was filming skits on the QB, "Tebowing" became a national obsession, the TeBrew was born. It was Tebow's world and we were all just happy to be along for the ride.

Three losses later and the bandwagon is getting incredibly light. He is turning the ball over regularly for the first time in his career and it's killing the defense.

Yet style points don't count in the NFL, and you have to give Tebow a lot of credit for completely turning around the fortunes of the team. His unbridled enthusiasm and will to win has spread like a virus inside the Broncos locker room.

From potentially landing the top pick to playing a home playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tebow and the Broncos have been one of the best stories in the NFL this season.

The best part about this saga?

Tebow can extinguish all of the skeptics by beating the Steelers and getting another crack at the Patriots or the Ravens.

With the way this season has gone, I don't think the sun has set on Tebow time just yet.