NFL Playoff Predictions: Tim Tebow Will Lead Denver Broncos to AFC West Crown

One of the most exciting playoff races resides in the AFC West with the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders battling for division supremacy. Ever since Tim Tebow took over at quarterback, the Broncos have been a completely different team and they'll ride that wave of momentum into the playoffs.

The Broncos are 6-1 since the bye week, which is when Tebow took the reigns from an ineffective Kyle Orton. Even though their schedule hasn't been overly difficult during the time, they do have wins over the Raiders, Chargers and Jets.

Sunday's game against Minnesota was the perfect example of how Denver keeps finding a way to win. Down by eight with under 10 minutes left, Tebow and Co. were able to score 14 points to gain control of the division.

The second-year signal caller had his best passing performance of the season, completing two-thirds of his passes for over 200 yards and two touchdowns. On the season, he's accounted for 13 touchdowns and just three turnovers.

It's not pretty, but it's effective.

Lost in the Tebow mania is an improving Broncos defense that has made key stop after key stop to help them surge back into playoff contention. The charge has been led by rookie linebacker Von Miller, who has 11 sacks and should be back in the lineup soon after thumb surgery.

A major reason Denver should be able to maintain its edge over Oakland is a manageable slate of remaining games. Contests against the Bears, who will be without Jay Cutler and Matt Forte, Bills and Chiefs are all winnable games.

Oakland on the other hand has to travel to face the undefeated Packers next week with games against the Lions and Chargers still lurking. So that facet of the race is clearly in Denver's favor.

While most analysts are talking about Tebow's long-term prospects and whether or not he has staying power, Bronco fans are just enjoying the ride he's taking them on right now. It's certainly a situation that has slowly, but surely, begun to captivate the nation.

The hype surrounding a playoff game involving Tebow would be unimaginable, but it's time to start preparing for it because the Broncos appear destined to crash the playoff party. After a 1-4 start, that would represent one of the best comebacks in recent memory.

And it's all possible because of the team's no-quit attitude.