Tebow Time: Broncos vs. Steelers scores huge TV ratings

Quarterback Tim Tebow #15 of the Denver Broncos high fives the fans after defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on January 8, 2012 in Denver, Colorado. The Broncos defeated the Steelers 29-23 in overtime of their AFC Wild Card Playoff game. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

There were a lot of winners last night. There were the Denver Broncos as a whole, The Trigger Puller himself Tim Tebow and Mr. Stiff-Arm Demaryius Thomas.

Next winner on the list? CBS.

The network continued to reap the rewards of Tim Tebow-headlined matchups against the NFL’s heavy-hitters. Earlier in the season, the network fought hard to keep the Broncos-Patriots tilt on its own network, and it led to the biggest non-primetime regular season ratings of the season.

Last night? The biggest Wild Card Weekend rating/share in 24 years.

The Broncos overtime victory over the Steelers ranked 25.9/43 in metered markets, up 38% from last year’s 18.8/37 for Baltimore at Kansas City. It was the largest share since the Houston Oilers nudged the Seattle Seahawks in a back-and-forth overtime thriller 23-20 in 1988.

And the ratings don’t stop there for CBS: Phil Simms, Jim Nantz, and the rest of the viewing public will get at least one more taste of Tebow and the Broncos on CBS. The network will air the playoffs rematch between Tebow and Brady Saturday night at 6:00 p.m. MT.