Did Tim Tebow REALLY beat the Jets?

"He's a winner."

"Tim Tebow just finds a way to win games."

Some typical comments from the Tim Tebow love affair after last night's defeat of the Jets.

Yes, the Broncos won the game but did Tebow beat the Jets?

No.

Rex Ryan and Mike Pettine did. Sending an eight-man rush and playing cover zero on that 3rd and 4, in which Tebow ran for the game-winning TD, was inexplicable. Ryan didn't have an explanation for it in his post-game press conference because it's so indefensible.

Eric Smith did.  The Jets send the house on the game-winning TD and who's left to catch up with him, the guy who has proven time and time again he can't keep up with whoever he's defending in open space. Oh and who was covering Dante Rosario when Tebow completed an 18-yard pass on that winning drive? You guessed it, Eric Smith. He needs to be taken off the field. Someone has to be better.

Elvis Dumervil and Von Miller did. They combined for three total sacks and put a lot of pressure on Mark Sanchez. Wayne Hunter's pass blocking has become a major liability. The Jets miss retired Damien Woody at right tackle, plain and simple. His absence is glaring. Sanchez consistently does not have as much time to throw as he did in previous seasons and it's coming from outside edge rushers. Andre Carter did it last week. Miller and Dumervil did this week.

Jim Leonhard did, when he whiffed on a huge first down tackle on Eddie Royal, which may have been a safety, on the 95-yard game-winning drive. 

Mark Sanchez did, when he stared down Broncos corner Andre Goodman and made an incomprehensible decision in his own territory, leading to an easy pick six.  The Broncos won by four. Sanchez gift wrapped six. He throws that away, Jets punt and the outcome's probably different.

Other intangibles of which you can't quite quantify the ultimate effect. You could also call them excuses: the short week and long trip to Denver (a tough place to play), not having LT, and then losing Shonn Greene early in the game, other injuries to Brodney Pool and Jeremy Kerley.

Don't get me wrong, Tim Tebow's likable. He's a good guy.

But he just didn't play a good game. The Jets let him win the game, by playing a five defensive back set for more than 90 percent of the final drive rather than the 3-4 base which was successful all game long.

He was shutdown until the Jets allowed him to move the ball down the field in the game's most pivotal moments. He ran for 11 yards in the game's first 54 minutes but then 57 yards in the last six.

Tebow played a part in the win  and is now 4-1 since taking over for Kyle Orton but there were many Jets and Broncos who were much more responsible for the win than him.

Give credit to who really beat the Jets, a Broncos defense that played a heck of a game, holding the Jets to 3 of 14 on third down...and the Jets themselves.