It’s easy to play the blame game after a heartbreaking loss such as the Pittsburgh Steelers suffered on Sunday against the Denver Broncos.

The defending AFC Champions were improbably ousted by what appeared to be an inferior team.

There is plenty of blame to go around, but there isn’t just one reason Pittsburgh’s playoff run came to a sudden halt.

So, I would like to argue against some popular sentiments stemming from Sunday’s upset.

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It’s Ike Taylor’s fault!The Pittsburgh cornerback was torched by Denver wide receiver Demaryius Thomas on multiple occasions — including the game-winning 80-yard touchdown on the first play of overtime — but the rest of the black-and-gold defense didn’t deliver, either, especially the pass rush.Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau rarely gave Taylor safety help and dared the Broncos to throw the ball. Denver obliged with numerous big plays, which must mean ...•

It’s LeBeau’s fault!Sure, put the blame on arguably the most successful defensive coordinator in league history. Obviously, he doesn’t have a clue what he’s doing.LeBeau had no reason to respect the arm of Tim Tebow — who racked up a whopping 60 passing yards the previous week — and his scheme might have been more effective if it wasn’t for a banged-up defense. Speaking of ...•

It was the injuries!That could explain a loss to perennial power New England or Baltimore. However, this was the 8-8 Denver Broncos, carrying an ugly three-game skid into the playoffs.Pittsburgh was more than capable of winning, demonstrated by a furious second-half comeback.The Steelers were in a daunting 20-6 hole and nearly climbed out of it — until Tebow Time. The quarterback’s flare for the dramatic caused many to conclude ...•

Tebow won the game!I’ve written this before, and I’ll likely write it again: Teams win games, not quarterbacks.Tebow’s performance was memorable, but likely an illusion.After posting zero passing yards in the first quarter, Tebow caught fire during a second-quarter stretch in which he went 4-of-6 for 185 yards, including three completions of 40 yards or more.LeBeau — probably shaking his head in disbelief — adjusted and Tebow plummeted back to Earth, going 4-of-11 for 51 yards during the rest of regulation. If not for Thomas’ blazing speed and powerful stiff arm, the Steelers might have survived.Tebow helped in the Denver triumph, but he certainly wasn’t the singular reason for it.Considering “Tebowmania” has been shoved down the throats of sports fans nationwide — especially by ESPN — I can understand the thinking.Even Pittsburgh safety Troy Polamalu momentarily fell into the media trap.“He won, that’s all that matters,” Polamalu said, presumedly provoked by a question on Tebow. “They won, I should say.”That’s the best way to put it.The Broncos, as a whole, simply executed better than the Steelers on that particular Sunday. And that — more than any one factor — was the difference in the game.Jason Orfao is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.