Tomlin defends play call in overtime

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

Mike Tomlin wouldn’t change a thing.

Probably.

The Pittsburgh Steelers coach said Monday he’d defend Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow the same way if given another chance, even after Tebow burned the defending AFC champions for an 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play of overtime to lift Denver to a stunning 29-23 victory.

“Obviously they made some nice plays on us and in hindsight you would analyze it, but your options are limited in terms of how you attack them,” Tomlin said.

The Steelers crowded the line of scrimmage and dared Tebow to beat the NFL’s top-ranked defense with his sometimes erratic left arm. Tebow obliged by throwing for 316 yards and a pair of long touchdowns, including the dart Demaryius Thomas turned into the quickest overtime score in NFL playoff history.

“They made a nice football play,” Tomlin said.

One that sent the Steelers into what could be an eventful offseason sooner than they hoped.

A year after falling just short in the Super Bowl, the Steelers went 12-5 despite a rash of injuries affecting every position. Even if Pittsburgh had somehow prevailed in Denver, there’s no telling how many healthy bodies would have been left to play on Saturday night in New England.

Left tackle Max Starks and nose tackle Casey Hampton both sustained knee injuries that could require surgery. Defensive end Brett Keisel’s groin acted up and linebacker LaMarr Woodley’s strained right hamstring remains balky more than two months after tweaking it.

Those injuries don’t include quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s sprained left ankle, safety Troy Polamalu’s tender right calf or center Doug Legursky’s aching left shoulder.

The Steelers were hardly at 100 percent Sunday. Then again, they haven’t really been all season. From a season-opening 35-7 beatdown at rival Baltimore, Pittsburgh spent the entire year catching up.

“I just feel like we left a lot [to be desired] this year as a whole,” said safety Ryan Clark, who didn’t play in Denver due to a sickle-cell trait that makes it dangerous for him to play at high elevation. “To turn around on the sideline and see Keisel standing there in a jacket, to see Hampton standing there in a jacket, it’s a lot to overcome.”

Still, the Steelers nearly did it behind Roethlisberger. Playing on basically one leg, Roethlisberger led a 14-point rally that included a spectacular 31-yard touchdown pass to Jerricho Cotchery with 3:48 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Pittsburgh had one last chance to win in regulation, moving within the extreme fringe of field goal range before going backward.