Thou Shall Not Doubt: Tebow delivers another win

By Nate Winkler
Cold Hard Football Facts Newly Religious Broncos Beat Writer

Watching Tim Tebow play quarterback is like getting a root canal at a strip club. Excruciatingly painful yet wildly entertaining at the same time. For the fifth time in the last six weeks, the quarterback - incarnate has led the Denver Broncos from temptation and delivered them from defeat.

Here are 5 Things we learned from Denver's 16-13 overtime victory in San Diego:

1. Willis McGahee has earned the "C" that was freshly adorned on his chest this week.

McGahee took over the El Capitan role vacated by the recently jettisoned Kyle Orton, and he delivered with a blue-collar beat down against the Chargers' 24th ranked rush defense. McGahee had 23 carries for 117 yards, none bigger than his game-long 24 yarder that set the Broncos up for the game winning field goal late in OT. One of the most valuable free agency acquisitions of the lockout shortened offseason, McGahee paced the Broncos on their way to another 200+ yard rushing day, continuing to provide the body blows to soften defenses for Tebow's late game heroics.

2. Denver's defense is way ahead of schedule.

John Fox is widely known for his defensive prowess, but even he couldn't have envisioned he'd have been able to take a defense with a combination of aging veterans and unproven youngsters to such a competitive level so quickly. In their last 4 games, the new and improved Orange Crush has given up an average of 15 points and 334 yards per game, while holding opponents to 27.7% (15-54) on 3rd down. Leading the way are Elvis Dumervil & Von Miller, who have quickly evolved into a lethal edge rushing duo, combining for 10 sacks and 12 TFL's during the four game win streak. In other news, Norv Turner isn't a very good head coach, and he'll likely be unemployed soon.

3. If committing turnovers are the cardinal sin of quarterbacking, let Tim Tebow cast the first stone. 

OK, give us a little credit for waiting until #3 to get to Tebow Time. (It was killing us, too) Despite the knocks on his fundamentals, Tebow completed 50% of his passes Sunday with a 95.5 QBR. He missed his read or his target on more than a few of his 18 attempts, but generally showed improved recognition and accuracy despite throwing for a meager 143 yards. Most importantly, for the fourth time in as many wins, Tebow did not commit a single turnover. Phillip Rivers managed only a 77.1 QBR with a Tebow-esque 19-36 for 188 yards, but surprisingly took care of the football, too. As our CHFF Insiders know, QB Rating & Defensive QB Rating have the highest Correlation to Victory in the 2011 season, with winners sporting a blistering 141-19 record coming into this weeks' action.

4. If the Broncos are within one score during the 4th quarter of any game, no bookie, bible, or bottle of bourbon is safe.

In what seems to be a weekly recurrence, Denver slogs around for 3 quarters, calling read-options on 3rd & 13 and punting like Jagger, yet they somehow find themselves within striking distance as the clock winds down. Tebow's intangibles deserve credit, as he's seemingly squeezing every ounce of talent out of his teammates, and no opponent can feel safe when the ball is in baby Jesus...er Tebow's hands.

5. Denver and San Diego had more combined punting yards than offensive yards...which is, ummm...offensive.

Denver's Brittion Colquitt & San Diego's Mike Scifries booted 14 punts for 699 yards, while their respective offenses tallied a total of 693 yards. Gone are the days of the air-it-out AFC West, with Tebow and Rivers combining for only 331 yards through the air. Tebow averaged an uncharacteristic 7.9 yards per pass attempt, but still had more rushes (22) than passes (18). Progress, albeit slow, is still a welcome sight, especially when it provides another exciting win and a lethal blow to a division rival.

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Read more: Cold Hard Football Facts, Denver Broncos, Elvis Dumervil, Football Nation, John Fox, Nate Winkler, NFL, NFL Week 12, Norv Turner, Philip Rivers, Phillip Rivers, San Diego Chargers, Tim Tebow, Von Miller, Willis MaGahee