“The stats are NOT in his favor being above average. His completion percentage and his QB rating are both SIGNIFICANTLY below average.”
He was held in check by the coaching. Denver had a ‘do not lose’ attitude with an aging running back. However ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Tebow#Denver_Broncos
After the three consecutive losses, Broncos vice president and former quarterback John Elway said Tebow was playing tentatively and needed to “pull the trigger.”[116][117] On January 8, Denver hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first round of the NFL playoffs. Tebow threw for a career high 316 yards and two touchdowns, including an 80-yard TD to Demaryius Thomas on the first play of overtime, as the Broncos won 29–23.[117] Tebow completed 10 of 21 passes in the contest, setting an NFL record for yards per completion in a playoff game at 31.6.[
He wasn’t held in check, they were playing to his only strengths. He is simply not a consistent QB.
21 passes for an OT game. Most QBs complete more than that in regulation. But his lack of consistency caused the Denver staff to greatly reduce passing plays.
The fact of the matter is he’s got backup skills and starter fans. He’s spent his entire career 3rd on the depth chart (4th now, and word is the Eagles are trying to trade up to get Marriotta). If it wasn’t for his hoard of adoring fans demanding he be put in constantly he’d actually have probably been in the league the last 2 years, on the bench but in the the league. But that combination of skills and fans makes him an instant QB controversy, and coaches don’t like that. They hate controversy more than they hate sub-500 completions.