(RNN) – Openly evangelical Christian and underwear spokesman Tim Tebow nearly caused an internet-crashing frenzy with a victory on Sunday and a number: 316.
The Denver Broncos quarterback led his team to a playoff victory against the heavily-favored Pittsburgh Steelers. He finished the game in dramatic fashion, with an 80-yard touchdown pass in overtime.
Those 80 yards brought Tebow's passing total to 316 for the game. Completing 10 of his 21 passes, it broke down to an average of 31.6 yards each.
The peak television ratings during the overtime? According to Bloomberg, a 31.6.
Many noted the symbolism in a number that has connected sports to Christianity for decades. Tebow's game-winning toss caused a Twitter sports record, with 9,420 tweets per second, and "John 3:16" became a Google trend.
The Bible reference became a staple of sporting events in the 1970s, when a guy known as "Rainbow Man" began showing up at televised games and holding up a sign bearing John 3:16. His story did not end well, but it did not tarnish the tradition he began.
John 3:16 continued to appear on signs and other items at events across the globe. Tebow also displayed it on his eye black at the 2008 BCS Championship, when he led the Florida Gators to victory.
Some people chalked up his performance Sunday to odd coincidence.
As for his yards per completion rate, any number divided by 10 is the same digits with the decimal place moved. And according to the website for the Bob Tebow Evangelistic Association, run by his father, the QB referenced 17 different Bible verses on his eye black in college.
So any number he achieves between 116 (Romans 1:16) and 4,031 (Isaiah 40:31) has a chance to hit one of them.
Others saw something more.
Tebow has never been shy about his beliefs since he stepped into the national spotlight. He made it known he does not drink alcohol, is waiting till marriage to have sex, strongly opposes abortion and praises God early and often at every opportunity.
His piety, by all available evidence, is genuine; there has been nothing put forth to indicate he is not what he appears to be. Tebow has continued the missionary work overseas he has done his entire life and his foundation began working to build a children's hospital in the Philippines.
While his beliefs and playing style have caused some verbal blowback from others, he has never responded negatively. And he gave an incredibly thoughtful answer on an ESPN interview when a former NFL player said he should stop saying he loves God so much:
"If you're married, and you have a wife, and you really love your wife, is it good enough to only say to your wife, I love her, the day you get married?," Tebow said. "Or should you tell her every single day when you wake up and have the opportunity? And that's how I feel about my relationship with Jesus Christ. It is the most important thing in my life, so every opportunity I have to tell him I love him, or I'm given an opportunity to shout him out on national TV, I'm going to take that opportunity."
Most "experts" called him a below-average quarterback that could not win in the NFL. Yet he took a team with a 1-4 record, made them a contender, won the AFC West and beat a much more talented team in the first round of the playoffs.
Whatever the reason for the correlation between the Bible's most recognizable verse and the NFL's most recognizable Christian, it has only added to the circus surrounding Tebow. On Saturday, his path to the Super Bowl goes through three-time champion Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, in a game where the Broncos are again heavy underdogs to make their conference championship.
And there are some other interesting games going on too.
New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers, 4:30 p.m. ET Saturday:
Irresistible force, meet immovable object. The Saints' record-setting offense travels west to meet the 49ers' top-ranked defense.
With you know who playing in Denver and the Packers going undefeated most of the season, Drew Brees somehow managed to break the single-season passing record yet fly under the national radar. Not only do they have several receivers who can get free for long scores, tight end Jimmy Graham and running back Darren Sproles are match-up nightmares in the passing game for defenders.
San Francisco's offense relies heavily on running back Frank Gore. They found success this season holding onto the ball as long as possible and keeping more proficient offenses off the field.
Patrick Willis leads a fierce defense that did not allow a rushing touchdown for its first 14 games this year.
Prediction: The 49ers finished second best in the NFC after not making the playoffs since 2002. They overachieved under first-year head coach Jim Harbaugh, but without postseason experience they come up short against the 2009 champs. Saints win, 31-17.
Denver Broncos at New England Patriots, 8 p.m. ET Saturday:
A battle between two marquee quarterbacks who both enjoy some modeling on the side.
For all the fuss about the win, Denver had the fortune of catching a banged-up Steelers squad last week. But Tebow's ability to run, along with running back Willis McGahee, could be effective against one of the lesser run defenses in the league.
Brady, Wes Welker and the Patriots have been daring teams to outscore them much of the year. The last two games of the season, they gave teams a 17 and 21-point head start before rolling on to victory.
Cornerback Devin McCourty will have to improve his play – he has been getting beat down the field by receivers a lot. Denver has to force turnovers from a great offense – and not give up any when they have the ball.
Prediction: "Tebow Time" gets stopped before it can begin. Much of the season's success for the Broncos has been reliant on their defense keeping the score low. New England, the AFC's top team, does not do low-scoring games. Patriots win, 45-21.
Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m. ET Sunday:
The NFL scheduled this game while many on the west coast will still be in church, and with good reason. Only the two cities and die-hard NFL fans may tune in to this one.
Houston will hand the ball off to running back Arian Foster. And then give it to him again. And again. Rinse, lather, repeat.
With third-string quarterback T.J. Yates behind center, the Texans will also rely on Johnathan Joseph and the defense to control the game.
The Ravens will employ a similar-style offense as their opponents, with All-Pro running back Ray Rice. Signal-caller Joe Flacco has been shaky at times but will try to get the receivers involved when the defense plays the run.
Baltimore's defense has been really good for what seems like a really long time. Ageless wonders Ray Lewis and Ed Reed are still the emotional leaders, but linebacker Terrell Suggs is the top playmaker.
Prediction: Baltimore's D + a rookie QB = loss for Texans. Ravens win, 24-10.
New York Giants at Green Bay Packers, 4:30 p.m. ET Sunday:
The inevitable shootout in the pass-happy NFL serves as the headliner Sunday.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers leads the defending NFC and Super Bowl champion Packers squad. He and his top-notch receivers, Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson, appeared unbeatable for most of the season – and were actually unbeaten through 14 games.
Linebacker Clay Matthews and defensive back Charles Woodson have done well at keeping the opposing offense from getting too hopeful most games.
The Giants seem to be mimicking their own Super Bowl run in the 2007 season. After a mostly-average year, they finished strong, took the league's top team (the Patriots) to the limit in the season finale and knocked them off in the championship.
This year, they will have to knock off the top team a couple of games before the Super Bowl. If Eli Manning can find receiver Victor Cruz for a score or two and get some production out of running back Ahmad Bradshaw, they have a shot.
Prediction: Green Bay is too good. Rodgers and company looked not only better but way better than anyone they played this year. The one game they lost was a fluke against a bad Chiefs team when they were playing on cruise control. No way they will do that in the playoffs. Packers win, 38-31.
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