Tim Tebow did it again, and this time the Detroit Lions were able to benefit from it. The Chicago Bears led the Denver Broncos, 10-0, with less than three minutes left, but Tebow found Demaryius Thomas for a 10-yard touchdown pass to cut it to 10-7. After failing to get the onside kick, the Bears' Marion Barber made a critical error by allowing himself to get tackled out of bounds on second down. After a failed third down conversion, Denver got the ball back, and Tebow got them in range for a 59-yard game tying field goal by Matt Prater. Barber then fumbled in overtime with the Bears in field goal range, and the Broncos went down to win the game on a 51-yard field goal.
The 13-10 win helped the Lions, as Detroit is now tied with Atlanta for the two NFC wild card spots with three weeks to play, meaning the Lions control their own destiny now to make the postseason. The Falcons hold the tiebreaker with Detroit based on their head-to-head win earlier in the season, but the Lions would be in the playoffs if the season ended today as the final wild card.
Based on the current standings, Detroit would play at New Orleans in the first round of the playoffs, while Atlanta would play at the NFC East winner. The Green Bay Packers, now at 13-0, have locked up home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.
In the AFC, the Houston Texans clinched the AFC South today and their first ever playoff berth. They also hold the edge right now for home field advantage in the AFC. Baltimore and New England are tied with them at 10-3 overall, and Pittsburgh is also 10-3, but would lose the AFC North to Baltimore based on the Ravens' two game sweep of them earlier this year. Denver leads the AFC West at 8-5, while the New York Jets would have the final wild card spot. Tennessee, Cincinnati, and Oakland, who all lost on Sunday, are a game behind the Jets.