NFL Predictions Week 8: Tim Tebow Will Not Tame Detroit Lions

Tim Tebow has made it abundantly clear in recent years that there's only one thing he cares about, and that's winning.

Not surprisingly, Tebow's most ardent supporters (there are many of them) tend to echo that sentiment. By this standard and this standard alone, Tebow's first start of 2011 against the Miami Dolphins in Week 7 was a roaring success.

Even Tebow's haters must tip their caps. Against all odds, Tebow snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Not many quarterbacks would have been able to do the same in his situation.

And now for the obligatory "But...."

While it's true that Tebow deserves credit for bringing the Broncos back in Week 7, he deserves criticism for putting them in a position where they actually needed a comeback. Through the first 50-odd minutes of the game, he was downright awful. He barely completed any passes, took too many sacks and didn't lead the Broncos to a single point.

Because the Broncos were playing the Dolphins, arguably the worst team in the NFL, Tebow was able to get away with it. Against a better team, one supposes that he would not have been so lucky.

It just so happens that the Broncos are due to face a better team this weekend, as the 5-2 Detroit Lions are coming to town for one last contest before their Week 9 bye. Presumably, they would like to end the first half of their season on a high note.

Actually achieving that end is going to be very simple: stop Tim Tebow. Because the Broncos have a lousy defense and little to offer in terms of a rushing attack (the Denver Post claims leading rusher Willis McGahee is going to be out at least a couple of weeks with a fractured hand), Tebow is the man.

Stopping Tebow should be easy enough. We all know how well Detroit's defensive line can bring the heat and that's going to be a problem for Tebow. The Dolphins nearly doubled their sack total in one outing against Tebow and Ndamukong Suh and friends could very well one-up the Dolphins. They are going to collapse the pocket, and you can rest assured that they will put a few hits on Tebow.

The other thing to keep in mind here is that the Dolphins have been quietly good against the pass this season. We tend to think of them as a team that can be beaten through the air, but they are allowing under 205 passing yards per game this season. Additionally, they have allowed just eight touchdown passes while picking off 10 passes.

The obvious counterpoint here is that Tebow can make plays with his legs, and this is true. However, he has to get out of the pocket first. It's certainly worth noting that about half of his rushing yards against Miami were negated by the yardage he lost taking six sacks.

In a sense, things are going to be both different and the same this Sunday. I have a feeling that we're going to see the same Tim Tebow, but the difference is that he'll be playing a better team.

As a result, his afternoon will not end well.

Prediction: 12-of-25 passing, 150 yards, one INT. 50 yards rushing, one TD.