Did Tim Tebow save his job Sunday?

Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow had a terrific game Sunday in a 38-24 victory at Oakland -- and his timing couldn't have been better. 

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported before the game that the Broncos were considering benching Tebow if he continued to regress, possibly replacing him with Brady Quinn.

That speculation won't get much traction this week, after Tebow ran for 117 yards in 12 carries and threw for two touchdowns, keeping his team in the thick of the AFC West race.

The Raiders, meanwhile, are groping for defensive answers and need to patch a lot of holes in a short time; they play at San Diego on Thursday.

"You have to do your job," Raiders defensive tackle Richard Seymour said after Sunday's loss. "The things that happened out there today ... it's Football 101."

The Broncos ran for 298 yards, 230 in the second half.

"I'm shocked," defensive tackle Tommy Kelly said. "Ain't no way I thought that team could put 38 points on us with that quarterback. This hurt more than Buffalo."

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Photo: Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow escapes pressure from Raiders defensive tackle John Henderson during the second quarter Sunday in Oakland. Credit: D. Ross Cameron / McClatchy-Tribune

Has Eli Manning Earned the Right to Be Called Elite?

Had Eli Manning thrown an interception in the Giants’ final drive against the Patriots on Sunday, the answer among fans might be different. Short memories, small sample sizes and high emotion are not a recipe for rationality.

After Manning finished with 25 interceptions last season, our Andy Barall wrote that Giants fans would miss him when he was gone — not a popular opinion at the time.

Then came August, and Manning was asked in a radio interview if he was in the same class as Tom Brady.

He replied, “I consider myself in that class.”

Cue the laughter.

Shutdown Corner, while praising Manning for his confidence, also called it “the irrational, delusional kind”:

Eli is wrong, of course. Tom Brady is a better quarterback than Eli Manning, and that’s not a criticism of Eli or even a statement of opinion. That’s just the way it is. The sun rises in the East, two plus two is four, and Tom Brady is a better quarterback than Eli Manning.

Manning had a chance to match up with Brady on Sunday, and just as he did in the 2008 Super Bowl, he outdueled him and rallied the Giants to victory with two fourth-quarter touchdown passes.

Still, Jason Cole of Yahoo Sports  wasn’t ready to give Eli an “E”:

Is it time to vault Manning into that class with guys like Brady, his brother Peyton, Drew Brees) and Aaron Rodgers? Can we somehow elevate him to a status that stats and moments don’t quite justify?

No, not yet.

If you’re looking for a bottom line answer to whether New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is the equal of New England Patriots counterpart Tom Brady, the answer is still no.

Extra point Forget about Sunday, as exciting as it was. It was one game. Is Eli one of the top five quarterbacks? Is he truly elite?

Here’s a sample of Manning’s discussion with reporters after the game (the full transcript is at the Giants’ Web site):

Q: Did you see any of the signs in the stands saying you were not an elite quarterback?

Eli: I did not. I don’t make it a habit of looking into the stands and reading signs. If I did, I don’t think I would have thought they were the experts to make that decision.

Q: Are you surprised that the question about where you rank has become a season-long debate?

Eli: I just don’t worry about it; it doesn’t affect my performance, my preparation or my mindset on what I need to do each week. If someone wants to put me in that class or not doesn’t bother me. It’s not going to get me depressed or get me cocky. I just try to prepare each week and go out there and try to win each game.

London 2012 Olympics: torch relay will convert even the staunchest Olympic sceptic

The London 2012 Olympic torch (Photo: LOCOG)

In May and June next year a curious feeling will overcome the UK.

Suddenly the most cynical and uninterested of the British public,  who has largely ignored the London 2012 Olympic Games build-up, will become converted into an Olympic fan.

The source of such revelation? A small flame on the end of a golden torch being carried around the country by 8,000 local people – and a few celebrities.

The impact and magnitude of the Olympic torch relay in creating a unified and passionate base for the home Games cannot be underestimated.

In the lead-up to the Sydney Olympic Games the mood of the nation shifted 180 degrees from anxiety about Olympic costs and ticketing to unbridled cheering on the day the Olympic torch arrived and was carried to Uluru by an aboriginal sprinter Nova Peris.

At the Vancouver Winter Olympics, divisions over the local communities and squabbling about costs were silenced in the cacophony of support for local torch bearers as it weaved its way throughout Canada.

I suspect that across the UK, the hundreds of communities that are already preparing for the torch arrival will galvanise a similar tidal wave of Olympic cheering.

Just why this is so, remains a mystery. I suspect people will say it is part myth – the thought that a flame lit by the rays of the sun can remain constantly light and bright and touch parts of the country that previously was immune to any connection to the Games, and part curiosity – to see what the fuss is all about.

Organisers of the London 2012 torch relay have taken a risk though, in deviating from the true relay concept. They are having runners pass the flame through towns, and then whisking it into the back of a truck to take it to the next town.

Part of the torch's romance was its journey through remote locations with just a farmer and his dog cheering it on, rather than ensuring every landmark has a picture opportunity.

But the organisers have taken this relay-by-truck method to ensure it will reach the farthest flung reaches of the country. And curiously it will be those areas the greatest distance away from London that will embrace the torch the most.

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For Giants, a Little More Drama to End the Week

A capsule look at the Giants’ 24-20 win over the Patriots on Sunday:

Key Performance

Steve Weatherford was the star of the first half, as the Giants punted on each of their six possessions. Weatherford finished the game with eight punts for an average of 43.1 yards, and pinned the Patriots on or inside their 20 six times.

Notable Number

Mathias Kiwanuka had 12 tackles, leading the Giants’ defense. Kiwanuka, who has been shuttled from linebacker to defensive end and back this season, also recorded his first interception since 2006 when he snatched a Tom Brady pass out of the air after Michael Boley tipped it.

Talking Point

The Giants played a sixth straight game in which the decisive score came with nine minutes or less remaining (they won five of the games). Anxious fans everywhere must be wondering: Can the Giants ever win a game easily?

Moving Month for Jets?

The third round of a golf major is called moving day because the tournament winner often comes from a group of players who surged on Saturday. It’s hard to picture Rex Ryan in golfing knickers, but his Jets seem poised to make a big move in November, the third month of the N.F.L. season.

The Jets’ 27-11 victory over the Bills was their finest all-around performance of the season. Were there penalties and some sloppiness that need to be addressed? Sure. But only three weeks ago, the Jets appeared in danger of “missing the cut” when they lost to the Patriots in Foxborough. At 2-3, the Jets were scuffling, and the Patriots were soaring at 4-1.

Now the Jets are tied for first place in the A.F.C. East with the Bills and Patriots. The Jets appear to be gearing up for their stretch run by sharpening their overall game.

On Sunday, Mark Sanchez (20 of 28, 230 yards, TD, INT), who was solid against the Bills, likened next Sunday’s game against the suddenly reeling Patriots to a divisional championship game.

Let’s take a quick look at what will be on the horizon for the Jets if they can continue to refine their game and find a way to hand the Patriots their third consecutive loss  Sunday night at MetLife Stadium.

1) The Jets would be, at worst, tied for first place in the A.F.C. East with the Bills, who have to travel to Dallas. A Bills loss to the Cowboys would give the Jets sole possession of first. In addition, the Jets would have a one-game lead over the Patriots and would hold the tiebreak edge in the division (Jets 3-1, Patriots 2-2).

2) Cincinnati (6-2) surprisingly sits atop the A.F.C. North, but it has a difficult schedule coming up. Cincinnati is tied with Baltimore at 6-2, but the Bengals  currently hold a tiebreak edge. After next Sunday’s game against the 6-3 Steelers, the Bengals play the Ravens in Baltimore on Nov. 20. Cincinnati may catch a break with Cleveland on Nov. 27, but the Bengals then have to travel to Pittsburgh on Dec. 4. In any case, the A.F.C. North rivals Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Baltimore will be beating up on one another in the coming weeks.

3) The A.F.C. West had a terrible day. The three teams that were tied for the division lead all lost. San Diego, Oakland and Kansas City lead the division at 4-4, with Denver only a game back at 3-5.

4) A.F.C. South-leading Houston (6-3) has a tough assignment.  The Texans play at Tampa Bay next Sunday before a bye week.

If the Jets can beat New England and seize control of the A.F.C. East, they will immediately become a player in the overall A.F.C. picture.

Extra point Is November going to become moving month for the Jets?

UCLA basketball: Are Bruins needlessly huffing and puffing?

UCLA Coach Ben Howland recently voiced concerns about his team's conditioning, saying the Bruins "were really sucking air" as the result of practicing on a high-school length court inside the men's gymnasium on campus while Pauley Pavilion undergoes renovations.

Here's the thing: UCLA has a regulation court available to practice on and isn't using it.

School spokesman Ryan Finney said the Bruins are not using the Wooden Center, which features a college-length court and will be used by the women's team for its home games this season, because of two factors: difficulty coordinating practice times with student workouts and intramurals, as well as Howland's preference for holding closed practices.

If the Bruins practiced at the Wooden Center, Finney said, they would not be able to close the facility to other students.

Asked Sunday after UCLA's 80-72 exhibition victory over Cal State San Bernardino if he thought his team's conditioning had improved from its closed scrimmage against Cal State Fullerton, Howland said: "I thought our guys were really excited. I thought Reeves [Nelson] got tired early in the game because sometimes you have the adrenaline flowing so much. Everybody was kind of like that to start the game. I think our conditioning will continue to get better as we keep pushing it, but I don't want to overdo it either."

Nelson said the Bruins had taken measures to improve their conditioning, including extra running in practice to make up for the shortened length of the court inside the men's gym.

No. 17 UCLA opens its season Friday night at the Sports Arena against Loyola Marymount.

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-- Ben Bolch