Steelers vs. Broncos: Tim Tebow Won't Get Past the Steel Curtain

Tim Tebow has seen a lot of success on the ground and sometimes through the air this season, but that will no longer be the case when his Denver Broncos meet the Pittsburgh Steelers in next weekend's Wild Card game.

This season, Tebow has made a lot of moves on his feet, as well as through the air. Against the Steelers though, he will have a hard time moving the ball against what is statistically the best defense in the league.

The Steelers only allow their opposition to gain 271.7 yards of total offense per game. There is no way around it, and there will be no way for Tebow to find any sort of opening to make a potential game-changing play against this veteran defense.

The Broncos have been the best team on the ground this season, averaging 164.5 yards per game. While that number is ridiculously high, they will be facing a steel curtain that doesn't allow the other team to even eclipse 100 yards.

Considering that the Broncos are the second-worst team in the league in terms of passing, Mike Tomlin will have to create a scheme to stop a one-trick pony. The Steelers will be down, as they have had many players hurting on the defensive side of the ball this season. 

Nonetheless, this is a veteran defense that knows how to stop an offense that is as ineffective as the Broncos.

This season, the Broncos have been completely ineffective against teams that can stop both the pass and the run. Against the Kansas City Chiefs, they were unable to move the ball through the air or on the ground. Between both games, they were only able to gain on average 289.5 total yards.

In their Week 17 matchup, Tebow was held to only 60 yards through the air, completing only six of his 22 pass attempts. If he can't handle the Chiefs defense this late in the season, how in the world is he going to handle the Steelers?

Despite past success, there is just no way that there can be any Tebow magic in this game.

There is no denying what Tebow has managed to do in the late minutes of a game, but this is the playoffs and it is a completely different environment. They are playing a team that was in the Super Bowl just a year ago, and has won two since 2005.

The Broncos were exciting to watch this season, as each game was pretty much down to the wire. This one, though, will not be anything like that.

While they fought a long road to get into the playoffs, they will be overwhelmed by the ability of this defense. It was an impressive Cinderella story, but this one just doesn't seem to have a happy ending.

The Broncos had their run of luck, but that time is over. Maybe Tebow will come back big next season, but this won't be the year that they find themselves moving to the next round of the NFL playoffs.