The National Football League wild-card playoffs were lackluster for the first three games of the weekend as the New York Giants trounced the Atlanta Falcons, the New Orleans Saints routed the Detroit Lions and the Houston Texans beat the hapless Cincinnati Bengals.

Those first three contests were boring and predictable. Then, the fourth game of the weekend played out late Sunday afternoon, and it more than made up for the previous games thanks to the Denver Broncos’ Tim Tebow.

The Broncos’ second-year quarterback has been a lightning rod for entertainment, arguments and controversy since taking over the quarterback duties midway through the season.

He is the guy from the University of Florida who NFL prognosticators doubted when the Broncos drafted him in the first round two years ago. He is the quarterback who many analysts said won in college because of the system at Florida under which he played. He is the religious man who sometimes gets criticized for his, at times, over-the-top views.

And he is, simply, a winner.

Heading into Sunday’s American Football Conference wild-card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, all five football analysts on Fox Sports picked the Steelers to beat the Broncos in Denver. Not only did they pick the Steelers to win, but they all predicted low-scoring margins of victory of 13-3, 9-3, 7-6 and so on.

The Broncos struggled to score entering the game having lost three straight and not scoring a touchdown in 19 straight possessions. The predictions seemed logical.

But nothing is logical when it comes to Tebow. The former Gator completed 5 of 11 passes in the first half ”“ several for more than 30 yards ”“ threw for a touchdown and ran for a touchdown as Denver jumped out to a 20-6 halftime lead. It was unexpected. This was Tebow looking more like Denver Broncos Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway and not the player who lacked the stereotypical ability to play like an NFL quarterback.

In the second half, the Steelers mounted a comeback and held the Broncos to a field goal, eventually tying the game at 23-23 and sending it into overtime.

It appeared the magic might have run out for Tebow, but he had other plans.

The Broncos won the coin toss prior to overtime, and on the first play from scrimmage, Tebow connected with Demaryius Thomas on an 80-yard pass play for a touchdown. The game was over, and Tebow once again added to his growing lore.

He is quickly becoming a cult hero in Denver. He wasn’t supposed to be able to win. He wasn’t supposed to beat Pittsburgh. He wasn’t supposed to get the Broncos into the playoffs, let alone win a game.

Now, he and the Broncos are coming to New England on Saturday night to play the Patriots in the AFC divisional game in Foxborough.

It will be a fun week of stories leading up to the game as Tebow-mania grows. Questions will be asked such as: How does he win with his unorthodox play? Are the 9-8 Broncos with Tebow good enough to beat the 13-3 Patriots? What dramatics will result from Tebow on Saturday? Can the Patriots’ defense stop him?

The Patriots blasted the Broncos 41-23 in a game a few weeks ago in Denver, so we all know the Patriots can beat Denver. In that game, however, the Broncos jumped out to an early 13-7 lead, and marched up and down the field at will before the Patriots capitalized on several turnovers to put the game away. In that game, Tebow was 11 of 22 with 194 yards. He also rushed for 93 yards and scored two touchdowns, so he is capable of playing well against the Patriots.

Making the game a bit more interesting is the Patriots’ rehiring of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. He left New England after the 2008 season to become the Broncos’ head coach. He drafted Tebow in the first round. It will be interesting to see if he can shed any light on stopping the Broncos and the Tebow train.

It’s no secret that the Patriots defense hasn’t been that good this season as it is ranked near the bottom of most statistical categories. Yes, New England has three-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady, but he can’t play defense. If the Patriots can’t create a few turnovers on Saturday, New England could get Tebow-ed.

Just ask the Steelers.

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Today’s editorial was written by Sports Editor Al Edwards on behalf of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski by calling 282-1535, Ext. 322, or via email at kristenm@journaltribune.com.