Patriots LB Christian Elliss, left, consoles his brother, Broncos LB Jonah Elliss, after the AFC Championship Game, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Bart Young)
One of the critical turning points in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game, which the New England Patriots won against the Denver Broncos, 10-7, came with three minutes remaining in the second quarter and Denver leading by a touchdown.
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The Broncos had a 3rd-and-4 at their own 33-yard line. Quarterback Jarrett Stidham dropped back to pass but was under immediate duress and retreated to the 15. Stidham was hit as he tried to throw the ball out of bounds, New England recovered, and the play was ruled a backwards pass and thus a fumble. Two plays later, the Patriots punched it in to tie the score.
The man who hit Stidham and forced the backwards pass was linebacker Christian Elliss, who joined the Patriots in December 2023 after being claimed off waivers from the Philadelphia Eagles. The 2025-26 season was the 27-year-old’s first as a regular starter, and he in turn recorded a career-high 94 combined tackles in the regular season (second on the team), three pass deflections and a forced fumble.
Elliss has only elevated his play in New England’s three playoff games, with 16 combined tackles, two pass deflections, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a sack. Four of those tackles and the sack (credited to him on Stidham’s backwards pass) came against Denver.
It was a performance and a win that for Elliss elicited mixed emotions. The sheer elation of advancing to Super Bowl LX collided with deep empathy for his younger brother, Jonah, a linebacker with the Broncos. As snow fell after the hard-fought contest, Christian consoled Jonah while embracing at midfield.
“Holding my brother after the game, that’s not a feeling I ever want to replicate,” Christian told the NFL Network on the field after the game. “I’m fine with winning. I’m so happy we did. But I know what he’s feeling. It’s bittersweet, for sure.”
When asked to share what was said between the brothers, Christian said he sought to comfort his brother by pointing him to God.
“I told him to keep his head up,” he said. “I told him that God has him. In everything we do, we give Him glory — win, loss, tie.”
Christian concluded his interview talking about a Patriots defense that allowed the fourth-fewest points in the NFL in the regular season.
“We’re gritty. We’re gritty,” he said. “No matter where you line up the ball, we’re gonna line up and play. We’re gonna make plays. For me, I’m gonna give all glory to God while doing it.”
Words of faith were not only on Christian’s lips after the game but written on his body during it. He wrote Psalm 23 on the inside of his left forearm, and he wrote AO1 (Audience of One) on the tape around his left wrist.
He’s spoken about his faith before, including after a disappointing 2024-25 season in which New England finished 4-13.
“We’re worried about winning. We’re worried about putting our best foot forward,” he told the media after Week 18. “As for me, I’m gonna honor God with everything I do (and) encourage that to my teammates too.”
Christian writes “All glory to GOD” and “Live your life so only his name will be remembered” in his Instagram bio, where he also cites the Bible passage John 3:16-21. He regularly includes references to the Bible and to prayer in his posts on the social media site.
Football runs deep within the Elliss family. In addition to Christian with the Patriots and Jonah with the Broncos, their brother Kaden is a linebacker with the Atlanta Falcons and another brother, Elijah, is a collegiate linebacker at Utah. The brothers’ father, Luther Elliss, was a two-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman for 10 NFL seasons (nine with Detroit, one with Denver). After his playing days, Luther served as the Broncos’ team chaplain for two seasons (2015-16) before joining the coaching staff at Idaho (Christian’s alma mater) and then Utah (his alma mater).
The Elliss clan expanded over the years, as Luther and his wife, Rebecca, have adopted seven children in addition to their five biological kids (the four aforementioned brothers have a sister, Olivia). One of the adoptees, Noah, even had a brief stint with the Philadelphia Eagles.
“It’s about more than giving them a home, welcoming them into the family and becoming one as a household,” Christian said about his adopted siblings in December 2024. “It’s about giving them a chance. God did something great with my mom and dad, bringing these kids in.”
In January 2023, when Christian was with the Eagles and primarily appeared on special teams, he was interviewed for a story on Philadelphia’s team site leading up to a contest with the New Orleans Saints, for whom Kaden, the oldest brother, played at the time.
“Kaden is a role model for me as a father, a husband,” Christian said. “His faith in God is second to none.”
Christian continued later: “Kaden has always kept me in a good mindset — God has a plan for me, God hasn’t abandoned me. That’s the mindset we’ve had: ‘As for me and my house, we shall serve the Lord,’ and, ‘God will prepare a table for us.'”
Super Bowl LX will be Christian’s second Super Bowl experience, having also played in the big game for the Eagles in February 2023, when Philly lost a heartbreaker to the Kansas City Chiefs, 38-35.
Super Bowl LX, set for Feb. 8 at 6:30 p.m. ET, will pit Christian’s Patriots against the NFC-champion Seattle Seahawks (14-3). Christian is hoping his second Super Bowl will end with a ring, knowing all the while that some things run much deeper than football ever could.
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