3:16 game
The 3:16 game was a National Football League playoff game between the 2011 Denver Broncos and the 2011 Pittsburgh Steelers on January 8, 2012. The game took place in the 2011–12 NFL playoffs and finished with five statistics that each contained three digits in the order 3–1–6. It was the first playoff game to go to overtime since a 2010 overtime rule was codified stating both teams could possess the ball unless one scored a touchdown. The game also set a record for the shortest overtime in NFL history; it took 11 seconds and the Denver Broncos scored on their first play in overtime.
Quarterback Tim Tebow taking a snap during the game with Lance Ball also in the backfield | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | January 8, 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Kickoff time | 3:00 P.M. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Steelers by 8 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Ron Winter | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 75,970 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Hall of Famers | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Steelers: Chuck Noll (executive), Dan M. Rooney (owner), Troy Polamalu Broncos: John Elway (executive), Champ Bailey, Brian Dawkins | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ceremonies | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coin toss | Broncos (deferred) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| TV in the United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Network | CBS | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Jim Nantz and Phil Simms | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Nielsen ratings | 41.9 million viewers, 14.8 rating among adults 18-49 | |||||||||||||||||||||
When Tim Tebow played college football for the Florida Gators during the 2008 Florida Gators season, he began writing messages on his eye black. At the conclusion of the season, Tebow played in the 2009 BCS National Championship Game and inscribed the biblical citation "John 3:16" on his eye black. Exactly three years to the day after that championship game, Tebow played in the NFL playoff game as a quarterback for the Denver Broncos on January 8, 2012, again writing "3:16" in his eye black before the game.
During the game, Tebow accumulated 316 passing yards with an average of 31.6 yards per completion. The Pittsburgh Steelers finished the game with a time of possession of 31 minutes and 6 seconds. The game's ratings peaked between 8:00 and 8:15 p.m. Eastern Time with a rating of 31.6. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw a second-quarter interception on 3rd-and-16.