Why Denver Broncos Can Thank Dick LeBeau, Not Tim Tebow, for Big Win

Give Tebow and the rest of the Denver Broncos all of the credit for getting their first playoff win under John Fox, but it was the blunders of the Pittsburgh defense that paved the way for Tebow's success. 

From the start of the game, it was clear that the Steelers did not respect Tebow as a passer, and stacked the box with nine and 10 men at times to stop the run. LeBeau trusted his corners to have good enough coverage to make the throw difficult enough for Tebow. 

Unfortunately for LeBeau, the Steelers corners, namely Ike Taylor, were awful all game long.

The Steelers respected the Broncos' rushing attack, but they completely underestimated the talent of their receiving corps. 

Tebow was not perfect, but he made a few nice stick throws when he needed to into the simple man coverage schemes of Pittsburgh. LeBeau's blitz schemes did not hit home, and Tebow had an inordinate amount of time to scan the field and deliver the ball. 

The overtime play was a perfect example of how LeBeau simply refused to respect Tebow's ability as even a competent passer. The Steelers were in a Cover-0 look; in other words, there was no safety help in case the corner got beat. Well, the corner did get beat, and Demaryius Thomas was able to take a routine slant route into a huge touchdown pass. 

I'm sure when Dick goes back and looks at the tape, he will be kicking himself for not respecting Tebow more as a passer.

Give Tebow credit, as he made the throws he needed to at key moments. But LeBeau's inability to adjust to what was happening on the field cost the Pittsburgh Steelers a chance to move on in the playoffs.