Patriots overwhelm Tebow and Broncos

Poof! Just like that, Tim Tebow’s special journey this season concluded Saturday night. A story that transcended the game and captivated those who don’t follow the sport came to an end with one cold thud.

The Denver Broncos ran into the AFC’s top-seeded New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium, and the gadget offense that launched Tebowmania was no match against 34-year-old Tom Brady, a polished postseason performer seven years removed from his last Super Bowl championship.

Tebow became the first NFL quarterback to deliver six fourth-quarter comebacks in his first 11 starts, and then he knocked out the Pittsburgh Steelers and their top-ranked defense in the wild-card round last Sunday with an 80-yard touchdown pass in overtime.

He was ineffective in this setting, forced to endure derisive chants of “Tebow!”

There were no heroics. Instead, it was fireworks from Brady as he tied an NFL postseason record with six touchdown passes in a 45-10 victory in a divisional round game.

By the time Brady threw the sixth touchdown pass early in the third quarter, Tebow had completed three passes for 28 yards. The last quarterback to throw for six touchdowns passes in a postseason game had been Steve Young in Super Bowl XXIX, and Brady didn’t pass when the Patriots got to the four-yard line early in the fourth quarter.

“I have no idea [about] records,” Brady said. “We try to go out and execute offensively. ... Hopefully, we can go out next week and play even better.”

The Patriots ended a postseason losing streak at three games and will play host to the AFC championship game next Sunday against the Houston Texans-Baltimore Ravens winner.

Brady’s NFL-record five touchdown passes in the first half -- three to tight end Rob Gronkowski -- staked the Patriots to a 35-7 halftime lead.

The Patriots didn’t relent and Tebow was befuddled, unable to react when his primary receiver was covered. He completed only nine of 26 passes for 136 yards. He was sacked five times.

“If [Brady] plays well, everyone else plays well,” Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork said.

Brady, a two-time most valuable player, didn’t seem fazed in 12-degree temperature and winds of up to 20 mph at kickoff. He completed 26 of 34 passes for 363 yards as the Patriots continued firing into the fourth quarter of the rout in a no-huddle attack.

Coach Bill Belichick had a creative twist for his tight ends.

He lined up Aaron Hernandez, who made 79 catches for 910 yards and seven touchdowns in the regular season, in the backfield as a running back.

On the fourth snap of the game, Hernandez went off left end for a 43-yard gain. He finished with five carries for a team-high 61 yards and caught a 17-yard touchdown pass.

Gronkowski manhandled a Broncos secondary that tried covering him at times with cornerback Chris Harris, an non-drafted rookie. He had 10 catches for 145 yards and tied the NFL postseason record with three touchdown receptions.

“They’ve been great assets to this offense,” Brady said. “It’s not about one player or one position. Coach really challenged us to play as a team, play together. I thought we did that.”

But Brady is the ringmaster. He improved to 15-5 all-time in the postseason. The question now is whether he and Belichick can lead the Patriots to a Super Bowl title like they did three times in four years in the previous decade.

“Tom has done a great job for a long time,” Belichick said. “We had great execution, certainly a lot better than the last few playoff games we had here. Everyone contributed.”

bmbiggs@tribune.com