The NFL is America's most God-centered professional sports league and Sunday's games continued to prove it
Sunday's most compelling game was over and now it was time for the Denver Broncos stars to discuss their stirring victory over the Dallas Cowboys on NBC's national broadcast. And that's when quarterback Bo Nix and safety Talanoa Hufanga told everyone where the credit goes:
To God.
"Honestly man, all praise to God, just to come out here, believe in myself, believe in my teammates to be in the right spot," Hufanga said after collecting two interceptions, including a Pick Six. "Man, all glory to God that I go out there and play and have some fun."
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NBC's Melissa Stark turned to Nix and asked something about what was discussed at halftime. And the quarterback gave her 10 seconds of fluff football talk then said this:
"But like he said, all glory to God," Nix said. "He's really good. He's given us this platform. He's given us this opportunity and our job is just to make the most of it."
"Believe," Hufanga then added, as if imploring the audience to join them.
And this is example 1,403,285 (more or less) that the NFL is the most God-centered professional sports league in America.
Every game day the most popular league playing the country's most popular sport shows up publicly thanking, praising and worshiping God.
Unapologetically.
No shame. No embarrassment. Out in the open, regardless how fans, media, or the league itself may feel about people of faith.
So, how could this secular, oftentimes super liberal monolith of a business preach God so often?
Well, let's understand there is a difference between the mostly faceless, nameless, Godless league that is headquartered in New York, and the people that fans actually come to see and cheer — the players and coaches.
While we think of the NFL as a sterile office bent on making gobs of profit, you've got people in uniform or wearing headsets that sometimes speak like prophets.
Consider:
The Baltimore Ravens beat the Dallas Cowboys in stunning, last-second fashion in Brazil. Quarterback Lamar Jackson completed a long pass with one second remaining to set up a final kick.
So he stepped off the field and went to work.
"The crazy thing about it [was] I had no doubt in my mind," Jackson told an international group of reporters afterward. "I prayed to Jesus. I prayed to God.
"I am like, ‘Man, I feel like we already won.’ I could not show it, but I am like, I have all my faith in [kicker Tyler Loop] right now, man."
In Washington, the Commanders lost linebacker Leo Chenal to a neck injury in the first half. He was taken to a local hospital where doctors saw he had movement in all his extremities.
Back at the Northwest Stadium, Kain Medrano stepped in for Chenal.
Medrano intercepted a pass in the fourth-quarter. And returned it for a touchdown and the game-deciding points. And afterward was thinking about his fallen teammate.
"Yeah, obviously, we lost a brother," Medrano said, "but we're all praying for him."
The Giants, like the Commanders, won on Sunday despite not having their starting quarterback because both Jaylen Daniels and Jaxson Dart are out injured.
That put Jameis Winston at the reins of the New York offense, but it was the defense and safety Jevon Holland's interception at his own 4-yard line with 24 seconds to play that sealed the victory.
And what was Winston's reaction?
"Elated, praise God, so happy and grateful that he did what I thought he was going to do," Winston said. "I told [Holland] he was going to do that. He did it.
"I told him he was going to do that Friday. Friday, I told him, I said, 'When the game is on the line, you're going to make the biggest play.'"
Coach John Harbaugh's team has a 2-1 record now. Those two victories are already half the number of wins the Giants managed all of last season.
So what's the first thing Harbaugh told the New York media to start his post-game news conference?
"Praise and glory to our Savior," he said. "And to our guys, nothing but respect for finding a way to win a tough game in the fourth quarter. That's the way these games go usually in the National Football League."
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None of this is preachy. It's not sanctimonious nor moralizing.
It is people of faith feeling no shame about sharing what's in their heart. And at their core.
This is the NFL on any given week.