Tim Tebow's issues holding onto the ball reared its head early on in Saturday's Denver Broncos game against the New England Patriots. After the Tom Brady touchdown pass, Tebow had a 14-yard run to pick up a first down, but then a couple of plays later he came under pressure, was sacked and fumbled the ball:
Right tackle Orlando Franklin is supposed to pass block against Rob Ninkovich here, but Franklin becomes unbalanced and allows Ninkovich to bypass him. Once there, Ninkovich hits Tebow from behind and forces the ball to the ground.
The Patriots then took advantage of that turnover to score another touchdown. Rob Gronkowski made an amazing floating touchdown grab for the 14-0 lead. The play was reviewed since it appeared he may not have had complete control of the ball as he came down, but the referee upheld the call.
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Denver. For more on this game, visit Broncos blog Mile High Report and Patriots blog Pats Pulpit. Head over to SB Nation NFL for more coverage of the 2012 NFL Playoffs.