MIAMI — The Dolphins’ defense sat on Denver for 54:37 Sunday. Oh, they gave ground on the ground occasionally, but this isn’t the 1970s. At some point in today’s NFL, you’ve got to complete a few passes, convert a few third-and-longs to score, and Denver quarterback Tim Tebow hadn’t shown he was capable of that. He looked ponderous in making his reads, his throws spraying with the randomness of a loose fire hose.
So how did this Dolphins defense allow a quarterback who had gone 4-of-14 for 40 yards, who hadn’t converted a third down all day, go 9-of-13 for 121 yards and two touchdowns and run in a two-point conversion on a quarterback draw everybody knew was coming?
“I don’t know. I’m still in shock. I’m still in disbelief,” said Dolphins defensive lineman Anthony McDaniel, who looked as if he’d just had to put down a longtime pet. “I’m at a loss for words. My feelings are hurt.”
Cornerback Sean Smith said: “I don’t know what to tell you. We knew he was a threat when he gets out of the pocket, he scrambles around, he makes plays. Towards the end of the game, we started letting those plays happen.”
Tebow had open receivers at times. He just overthrew them by a Denny’s or two. But with 5:23 left, he started Denver’s first touchdown drive by hitting Demaryius Thomas for 15 yards at the right sideline. Suddenly, he was the precision passer who cut up Cincinnati in his last college game. He even threw for a first down, hitting Eric Decker for 5 in front of Smith on a third-and-3.
On the way to the second touchdown, he whistled a perfect throw down the middle for Daniel Fells, who made a diving catch with Dolphins linebacker Kevin Burnett diving right along with him. The 28-yard gain to the Dolphins’ 3 with 33 seconds left survived video review.
“You’ve got a chance to end the game by knocking down the ball,” Burnett said. “I don’t care if they say it’s a catch or not, I’ve got to knock down the ball, period. If I knock down that ball, I think the game changes.”
After the touchdown, on a throwback screen that fooled the Dolphins so badly Fells got to the end zone easily despite stumbling halfway, the Broncos lined up for the two-point conversion — no backs, everybody spread. The Dolphins called time out, discussed and came out in the same set.
Smith said his thinking was obvious: “Draw! It’s Tebow. That’s his signature play right there.”
“We knew he was getting the ball,” linebacker Karlos Dansby said. “The whole stadium knew he was getting the ball. We just didn’t make the play. We had the perfect call set up, and we just didn’t make the play when we had to.”
