NFL Playoff Predictions 2012: Tim Tebow Fairy Tale Won't Have Cinderella Finish

The Tim Tebow era began like any other fairy tale, only it will end in tragedy as the Denver Broncos are ousted at home by the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

Tebow didn't so much take over the Broncos quarterback position as much as he descended upon the nation as thing boarding on deification. I was prepared to hear about how he was born in a meadow amidst a babbling brook where Disney-drawn deer would frolic. 

The hype surrounding Tebow was getting ridiculous, and even that is a gross understatement of the reality. Broncos fans were willing to offer up their intelligence and accept that Tebow was a winner because, well, he was a winner. 

A player that evokes such emotion hardly needs specific validation such as precision passing or in-game leadership. While Tebow may one day become both, he was much too ill-equipped to live up to the hype that surrounded him. 

And so we come to the playoffs. As if by divine right, Tebow floundered in the final game of the season only to see the Broncos get into the playoffs just the same. 

The weekly fortune that seems to fall in Denver's lap will stop in the Wild Card Round. The mystique that surrounded the Broncos famed quarterback has waned significantly. The jig is most definitely up and the Broncos will suffer. 

Tebow is having a hard time getting out wide as he once did and is being forced far too often toward the middle of the field. This has negated the talents of Tebow who still suffers as a pocket passer. 

The Steelers may be without Ryan Clark who might be sidelined due to the high altitude, but it will hardly matter as the Tebow machine that was railing off wins at an exciting clip has stalled. 

There is no reason to think that the Broncos can figure out how to remedy such a thing before this weekend. With the woes continuing, that magical fairy tale ending we all hoped would take place will be far different. 

Instead, the hero walks away under much more humble circumstances than when he entered. 

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