Once again, it’ll be one and done for Pats in playoffs

We’ve watched Tim Tebow’s comebacks ? read the articles about faith and football ? seen the SNL clip where Jason Sudeikis (as Jesus) suggests Tebow should read the playbook as well as the Bible. And it ain’t over yet.Tebow and the Broncos will come into Gillette Stadium against the Patriots and do what they’ve done the past few months: Pull off a win. A lot of the reasons for this have nothing to do with Tebow, but everything to do with other players who seem to get lost in the hype about No. 15.While the Patriots busted the Broncos in the first go-round, people forget Denver’s offense turned one-dimensional after losing running back Willis McGahee to an injury during that game. It looks like McGahee will play Saturday.Meanwhile, the Broncos have two defensive threats in Elvis Dumervil and Von Miller, and given the Pats’ O-line shuffling, Tom Brady must get rid of the ball fast ? or else.True, the Broncos have their own injury woes. Receiver Eric Decker was knocked out of the first-round upset of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Yet Tebow has other targets, including Demaryius Thomas, who caught that 80-yard touchdown pass that won the game in overtime and evoked Brady’s 2003 OT game-winning bomb to Troy Brown against the Dolphins, back in the glory days.Yet, as Bruce Springsteen said, “Glory days, they’ll pass you by.” Indeed, while the Patriots’ championship teams could beat the likes of Peyton Manning’s Colts and Ben Roethlisberger’s Steelers, the franchise has grown soft, like Marty Schottenheimer’s old Chargers or Chiefs teams. The 2011 Patriots built their 13-3 regular-season record on “cupcake” wins over the Manning-less Colts and the gutless Jets. They lost to tougher competition like the Steelers, and another nemesis, the Giants. They cannot beat a foe that has a will to win, like Eli Manning, who led Big Blue on a late-game scoring drive reminiscent of Brady’s heroics to win Super Bowl XXXVI against the Rams in 2002. And while Tebow and the Broncos also feasted on cupcakes (the Jets, the depleted Bears), last week they eliminated the Super Bowl runner-up from the playoffs.Because the Broncos have players like Tebow, Thomas, McGahee, Miller and Dumervil ? and because of their confidence after beating Pittsburgh ? Denver can continue “Living in the Future” (another Springsteen song) with an eye on the AFC Championship Game. As for the Pats ? they’re still stuck in the past and will remain so after losing to Denver, 44-40.Rich Tenorio can be reached at [email protected].