On January 8, 2012, the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers were tied 23-23 in overtime of the Wild Card round of the AFC playoffs.
Denver led 20-6 in the second quarter before letting Pittsburgh fought back and sent the game into overtime. Fortunately for the Broncos, they won the coin toss and got the ball first to begin overtime.
Under the league’s new rules, scoring a touchdown on the opening drive would win the game. That’s exactly what Denver did.
Facing a first-and-10 on the first play of overtime, Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow connected with wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, who was about 20 yards downfield when he caught the pass. Thomas then outran the Steelers’ defense 60 yards for a game-winning score.
It was a thrilling moment for fans in Denver and arguably the highlight of Tebow’s NFL career. Tebow finished the game with 316 yards and two TDs and Thomas ended the day with 204 receiving yards and a score.
Broncos Wire recently named Tebow’s game-winning touchdown pass to Thomas the second-best Broncos moment of the 2010s decade.
