Matt Forte, left, and Justin Forsett, right (Photo by Sports Spectrum)
THIS IS EPISODE 336 OF THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST
Matt Forte and Justin Forsett joined us on this episode of the Sports Spectrum Podcast.
Forte was selected in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears and played eight seasons in Chicago. He then signed with the New York Jets, where he played two more seasons before announcing his retirement with Sports Spectrum in March 2018. He is a two-time Pro Bowler (2011 and 2013).
Forsett was selected in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks and played nine NFL seasons with the Seahawks, Colts, Texans, Jaguars, Ravens, Lions and Broncos. He was named to the Pro Bowl after rushing for a career-high 1,266 yards with Baltimore in 2014.
On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Forte and Forsett about retirement, adjusting to life after the NFL, idolatry as a football player, keeping Jesus in the conversation, and being all in for Christ.
The verse for tonight is Colossians 4:2 Goodnight & God Bless!!
Must👀 “I am a Christian athlete. Actually, I’m more Christian than athlete, and I wanted people to realize that first. I felt if I used one of the regular publications that are strictly sports-oriented that they’d leave Jesus’s name out of it.”—Matt Forte https://t.co/ANXkH4HrFg
Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young points Heavenward, Oct. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
If the Carolina Panthers are to repeat as NFC South champions in 2026-27, leaving Philadelphia on Sunday with a victory over the Eagles — who were playing without starting QB Jalen Hurts and starting RB Saquon Barkley — was essential. And that’s just what Carolina did after its workmanlike 25-14 win, which improved the Panthers to 3-2 on the season and gave them a two-game lead in the loss column in the divisional race.
Carolina was led once again by quarterback Bryce Young, who continued his spectacular start to the season with 281 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and no turnovers. In the process, he set a franchise record for touchdown passes through five games with 11, and he leads the entire NFL in passing yards per game (309.8).
“First and foremost, all glory to God,” Young told CBS in an on-field interview moments after the final whistle. “I’m nothing without my Lord and Savior.”
His postgame comments were not the first time Young had publicly acknowledged his Father in Heaven on the field on Sunday; he also bowed his head in prayer when he saw an Eagles defender on the ground injured in the second quarter.
“First and foremost, I’d like to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” he said. “Without Him I couldn’t be here. And through Him all things are possible.”
Then immediately after being selected No. 1 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft by Carolina, Young told ESPN, “I’m blessed. I want to thank God for allowing me to be here.”
Now 25 and an early-season contender for 2026 NFL MVP, Young is on a career trajectory that has almost completely turned around. He struggled as a rookie as his team went 2-15 in 2023-24. The next season didn’t start any better, as Young threw three interceptions without a touchdown and the Panthers started 0-2. Young was benched before the third game, with no timetable for his return. He did eventually return to the starting lineup later that season.
He was asked about his 2024 benching on “The Pivot Podcast” this past February, and he described that time as a “blessing.”
“That was one of the first times in a professional sense that I had no choice,” Young said on the podcast. “I think that wasn’t an accident. I think God put me there to know that faith is real, for me to strengthen my faith. Really, for me to be able to experience God in a different way.”
Young knows the adversity he faced early in his NFL career was simply one step in a lifelong journey of God drawing the quarterback into a deeper relationship with Himself.
“I’m based in faith,” Young said on the Sports Spectrum Podcast while at Alabama in 2022. “I’m blessed to have the family that I do that introduced me [to Christ] when I was young. Throughout my life, my relationship has grown with the Lord and my faith has improved.
“Through that, I work to be the best version of myself that I can be, and to embody Christ in all that I do.”
On the field, Young will seek to continue his hot start next week against the division-rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-5). Kickoff is set for Charlotte on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST, FEATURING JOSH LINDBLOM & SCOTT LINEBRINK
On today’s Sports Spectrum podcast, former MLB pitchers Josh Lindblom and Scott Linebrink discuss the topic of identity and finding our purpose and worth outside of sports.
