The John 3:16 game

Super Bowl LV is over. Football will return in the Dog Days of August. In the aftermath of the ubiquitous, grand hype, let us look back at one of the most remarkable NFL postseason games in history.

The day was Jan. 8, 2012. Starting a quarterback for the Denver Broncos was Tim Tebow, a former Florida Gator legend and Heisman Trophy winner. Exactly three years before, Tebow wrote “John 3:16″ on his eye black, a reference to the scripture, “For God so loved the world that he gave his own begotten son.” The practice was banned by the NCAA, but Tebow’s resolve to spread the Gospel became his main mission. Tebow’s unparalleled faith drove him to lead his Gators to a national championship.  

One of Tebow’s wide receivers was a young, super-talented Demaryius Thomas, a Georgia Tech All-American and top draft  NFL choice, out of Montrose and West Laurens High School. The fleet-footed Thomas, in his sophomore NFL season, was just beginning to bloom as a star.

The Steelers jumped out to an early 6-0 lead with two field goals. Tebow and the Broncos roared back with a 20-point surge to lead 20-6 at halftime. Pittsburgh mounted a third-quarter comeback with a touchdown late in the third quarter. 

Denver moved back out to a 10-point lead with an early, 4th-quarter three-pointer. The Steel City men knew it was a “now or never” moment. The men in black roared back with a field goal and a touchdown and a field goal to tie the score at 23 points each.  

Three minutes and 47 seconds elapsed. The score remained knotted at 23-23. In the first play of overtime, the Broncos lined up on their own 20-yard line. Thomas was lined up wide to the left. Eddie Royal lined up wide right and ran in motion toward the center of the field. Both running backs stayed back in an effort not to reveal an unlikely pass on first down.

At the snap, Thomas sprinted straight ahead for eight yards before turning at a 30-degree slant toward the middle of the field. Tebow threw a rocket, hitting Thomas in full stride. Thomas turned on the gas jets and flew toward the right sideline, moving further and further away from the Steeler defenders. Running as fast as he could, “Bay Bay” Thomas outran Ryan Munday and Ike Taylor to the corner of the end zone.  Game over!  Broncos win!  Broncos win!

Denver’s Mile High Stadium fans erupted in a tumult.  Thomas was running so fast that it took him more than 20 yards to come to a stop. Tim Tebow fell to his knees in grateful praise of God, an act that the NCAA and NFL could not ban. The game could be called the “Immaculate Reception II.” It was in December 1972, when Pittsburgh’s Franco Harris snared a bouncing ball and ran for the winning touchdown against the powerful Oakland Raiders.

The game has been dubbed the “John 3:16 Game.” The reference was not coined as a tribute to Tebow’s undying faith, but to a remarkable statistical result. When the statisticians made their final calculations, a fascinating pattern of three consecutive digits in five stats stood out. Was it a coincidence,  an anomaly  or an act of divine design?  

Thomas, our local hero, brought about the quickest end (11 seconds) to a playoff game in NFL history. That day, Thomas averaged 51 yards per catch, setting a record for the second-highest total in a single game in NFL history with a minimum of four receptions. His  80-yard touchdown reception remains the longest scoring play in overtime in NFL postseason history. 

Tebow accumulated 316 passing yards with an average of 31.6 yards per completion. The Steelers finished the game with a time of possession of 31 minutes and 6 seconds. The game’s tv ratings peaked between 8 and 8:15 p.m. Eastern Time with a rating of 31.6. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw a second-quarter interception on 3rd-and-16.