Faith and football seem to be more intertwined today than ever before. That fact is undeniable in the wake of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin’s near-death cardiac arrest during a recent televised Monday night football game. Players and coaches on the field, fans in the stands and across the country and even tv announcers in the broadcast booths began praying. It was quite a sight to see so many people pour out their hearts to God for a miracle to happen and for Hamlin to live.
A miracle did happen and Hamlin’s amazing recover allowed him to attend some pre-game Super Bowl LVII events where he told a cheering crowd that his brush with death was part of God’s plan for his life.
“First, I would like to just thank God for even being here,” Hamlin told the crowd. “I have a long journey ahead, a journey full of unknowns and a journey full of milestones, but it’s a lot easier to face your fears when you know God’s purpose for your life. Everyday, I am amazed that my experiences could encourage so many others across the country…encourage them to pray, encourage them to spread love, and encourage them to keep fighting no matter the circumstances.”
That set the stage for one of the most exciting games and certainly the most faith influenced Super Bowl I have ever seen. And, I have been blessed to have watched all fifty-seven of these contests. Each year I have always found a reason to cheer for one of the participating teams. The first twenty-six of them I rooted for the team that I had placed a bet on. The thoughts of losing money can cause you to become quite vocal for a team you have no other connection with whatsoever.
After I accepted Christ into my life the gambling stopped. That caused me to find other reasons to support one team over the other. Two of those years my favorite team, the Carolina Panthers, were in the game so I could cheer for them. But that left a lot of Super Bowls that I needed to find a reason to watch and cheer. So I decided to root for the team that had the most Christian players, because if that team won I would have lots good of material to put in an article. Some years it was hard to find any players that were Christians much less any stars. But not this year! There were so many great Christian players on both sides that I couldn’t really pick a side and so I just sat back and enjoyed what many are saying was the best Super Bowl ever.
Think about this. The two biggest offensive stars were outspoken Christians, as were the top two defensive stand outs. The kicker whose field goal won the game was also a Christian. Both teams coaching staffs had a number of men of faith as did the winning teams ownership.
The two teams quarterbacks were dominate. Kansas City Chief’s Patrick Mahomes and the Philadelphia Eagle’s Jalen Hurts had performances that will be the standard for quarterback play for Super Bowls to come.
Despite reaggravating a right high ankle sprain late in the first half, Mahomes led Kansas City back from a double-digit deficit to win a nail-biting 38-35 victory over the Eagles. He was 21-27 for 182 yards and three touchdowns. His 14-yard scramble was a key play on the touchdown drive that resulted in the Chief’s win. After the game he was awarded his second Super Bowl MVP trophy.
Mahomes took time to thank God for his success. “I know that I’m blessed to be in this position and I know that I’m here for a reason, to glorify Him. And so, it means everything. I know why I’m here and it’s not to win football games, it’s about glorifying Him. My faith has always been a big part of what I do.”
Jalen Hurts play would have won him the MVP in almost any other Super Bowl. He rushed for 3 touchdowns and a 2 point conversion. He also threw a 45 yard bomb for a touchdown and passed for 304 yards in a losing cause.
He stated in an interview that everyone goes through down times where they have to lean on their faith. “I truly try to focus on the things that I can control, not the things that I can’t. So, control the things you can, put the work in, never lose faith in what you believe in. I have a lot of faith and I know where my strength comes from. It comes from God.”
Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker won the game in the final seconds by hitting a 27 yard field goal. There was a ton of pressure on Butker because he had missed one earlier in the game.
Butker said he has experienced significant growth in his spiritual walk with the Lord amid the ups and downs he had this season. “You miss some kicks, and you’re like, ‘my identity can’t be all as a football player.’ So, I grew a lot in my prayer life and knowing that I’m nothing without Him. If I didn’t have faith in God, I don’t think I would be the father I am, the husband I am, the kicker I am. That kind of sets the tone for everything else, and everything falls under that. I may have fears. … I might feel pressure. But, I know that I’m a child of God. And He’s [has] to protect me.”
The Eagles starting wide receiver, A. J. Brown, had 6 catches for 96 yards and a touchdown in the big game. He also led Philadelphia in receiving yards this season. Brown stated, “I try not to lean on my own understanding. I read the Bible a lot because that’s how I fight my problems. I’m not trying to stand up here and be a perfect guy because I’m not; nobody is. But I just lean heavily on my faith and try to let Him direct my paths.”
The defensive stars included Kansas City starting linebacker, Nick Bolton, and Eagles linebacker T.J. Edwards. Bolton had 9 tackles and a TD on a fumble recovery in the big game after leading the Chiefs in total tackles (180) this season.
“God presented this opportunity to go out here and play football — and so I’m just going to take advantage of it,” Bolton explained. Bolton said he felt blessed. “Just a lot of gratitude … how much I’ve grown as a person, as an individual, a football player, a teammate, and a follower of Christ.”
Edwards also led his team in total tackles (159) for the year and added 6 tackles in the Super Bowl. Edwards said he grew in his faith the past year. “I started going to Bible studies and things like that – really trying to just immerse myself as much as I can and try to follow in the lead of, honestly, alot of my teammates [and] a lot of people in the organization and it’s really helped me become closer and I’m very grateful for it.”
Eagles Head Coach Nick Sirianni was once a Chief’s assistant coach and was fired by the Chiefs now-Head Coach Andy Reid. He says God’s plan is always best. “I didn’t much like it, but it led me on a path to here. And so, you know, God’s always done that for me and you know, put me in the positions I need to be in, maybe sometimes don’t want to be in, but the positions I need to be in. And you don’t always see that when you’re going through the trial, right? Not staying in Kansas City and moving on in my career, and it was what I needed to go through,” Sirianni said. “And so I’m obviously grateful for that and faith is number one for a reason. I’m very grateful to God for what I have.”
Chief’s owner Clark Hunt pointed to God just as he has in past years. “The Lord has blessed our family and team in so many ways, including with the best fan base, and now another Super Bowl win.”
Jesus was also front and center in the battle of commercials. Two ads sponsored by a Christian group rated number 2 and number 8 for being the spots that the most people talked about. That was pretty impressive considering there were 47 commercials run during the game. The “He Gets Us” ads directed people to a website where they could learn more about Jesus, find Bible reading plans, and connect with people who can answer their questions.
It certainly was a great night of football that was made even better by the players who took this opportunity to let their light shine to over 208 million viewers. They truly made Matthew 5:14-16 come alive.
“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”