Denver, Colorado,
1/12/2014, Sports Authority Field at Mile High: Philip Rivers (17)
celebrates during a game vs the Denver Broncos.
(Photo Courtesy: Jeffrey Beall/CC License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode)
Since becoming a starting quarterback in 2006, Philip Rivers has been one of the most productive players at his position in the NFL. He has passed for more than 4,000 yards in eight of the last nine seasons and has thrown more than 20 touchdown passes in every season since taking the reins as starter.
He holds almost every Chargers record at the QB position and is poised to become the greatest quarterback in Chargers history.
Rivers isn’t just a big time NFL quarterback, though. He’s also a husband to Tiffany and the father of eight children. Yes, that’s right, EIGHT children.
Faith in Jesus Christ is also important to Rivers, and he recently shared his spiritual journey with Miles McPherson at The Rock Church in San Diego.
“My faith has always been very important to me,” Rivers told McPherson. “When I went to college (at North Carolina State) is really when it became my own. I had to get up out of that dorm room and go to church, go to mass on Sunday. That’s when I took ownership of my faith.”
Rivers talked with McPherson about getting married at 19 years old and remaining pure before becoming husband and wife.
“Remaining pure, being chaste, was very important to us,” Rivers said. “Obviously there wouldn’t be many other reasons to get married at that point. I didn’t have a penny to my name.”
Rivers went on to talk about the reason he’s been able to stay married and have eight children over the past 16 years.
“I think that the center of our marriage and the foundation of our relationship was on Jesus, that is why it’s worked to this point.”
At the end of his appearance with McPherson at The Rock, Rivers provided encouragement to those in attendance.
“Too many times we think we’ve fallen too far from God or we’re not worthy,” Rivers said. “Only by God’s mercy and grace. We aren’t worthy, we’re all sinners, but we are because of Jesus dying for us.”
Rivers and the Chargers report to their new home in Los Angeles for training camp later this month.
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST WITH MATT FORTE, FEATURING ROBERT MATHIS
Robert Mathis spent 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts (2003-16) and is the franchise’s all-time leader in sacks (123). He was inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor in 2021, and won Super Bowl XLI with the team in 2006-07. He retired as the NFL’s career record holder in forced fumbles (52).
Matt Forte welcomes Robert Mathis to the Sports Spectrum Podcast to talk about his journey of faith in Christ, the worst year of his life in 2014, the power of prayer, his favorite quarterback to sack, and the Colts’ culture.
Robert Mathis, who spent all of his 14 seasons with the @Colts and was part of the Super Bowl XLI winning squad, is now a Semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2025. #PFHOF25pic.twitter.com/CErpQyajCL
Ohio State safety Caleb Downs makes a catch during the school's Pro Day in Columbus, Ohio, Wednesday, March 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Paul Vernon)
Ohio State safety Caleb Downs has spent the past two seasons building one of the most decorated résumés in college football. Now, he’s on the verge of hearing his name called early in the NFL Draft — potentially within the first five picks.
He was named the winner of the 2025 Jim Thorpe Award — given annually to the nation’s top defensive back — and a finalist for both the Bronko Nagurski and Chuck Bednarik Awards, each honoring the nation’s best defensive player. Downs was also a two-time consensus first-team All-American and a key member of the Buckeyes’ 2024-25 national championship team and Big Ten runner-up squad in 2025-26. Furthermore, he was given the Big Ten’s Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year honor and, for the second straight season, the Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year award.
His impact extended beyond the field as well, earning the Lott IMPACT Trophy, which recognizes performance, leadership, character and community involvement, and he was nominated as Ohio State’s candidate for the 2025-26 Jackie Robinson Community & Impact Award.
“I have spent 11 years coaching in the NFL and Caleb Downs is the best football player — pro or college — that I have ever coached,” Ohio State co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Tim Walton said. “He is first-class and exceptional in all areas he touches.”
That combination of production, football IQ and consistency has made Downs one of the most highly regarded prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft. Multiple outlets project him as a top-10 pick, with ESPN and The Athletic placing him as high as No. 5 overall to the New York Giants.
“Downs would be the first safety taken in the top five since Eric Berry went to the Chiefs in 2010, and he’d be worth it,” ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. wrote.
But Downs is more than just a football player. And he’s not shy in talking about what’s most important to him.
“There’s two things that are more important than me, more important than me playing football,” Downs told “The Walk” podcast in August as to why he wears No. 2. “My faith in Jesus Christ and my family. So those two things is what I wear on my chest every game and those are the two most important things in my life.”
His faith has been central not only to his personal life, but also to his platform at Ohio State. In 2024, several football players helped lead a worship gathering on campus that featured worship music, player testimonies and baptisms. When the event returned in 2025 — drawing an estimated 2,000 attendees, nearly double the previous year — Downs was among the players who spoke to the crowd.
“No play we make on the field — no touchdown, no interception — can compare to the Kingdom of God,” Downs said.
Speaking afterward, he emphasized where he believes true credit belongs.
“God is good,” Downs told local television station ABC 6. “I mean, I can’t take credit for it. None of my teammates can take credit for it. At the end of the day, His glory is above anything that we can do, but we know Jesus is real and we know that if you believe in Him, you will be saved.”
That message has also shaped how Downs talks about faith publicly. On “The Walk” podcast, he talked about the hesitation many feel about coming to Christ.
“Some people say, ‘I’m not ready to be baptized. I’m not ready to come to Jesus,'” he said. “But the realization is that Jesus is for the people that are sick. Jesus is for the people that aren’t perfect. You’re never going to be perfect enough to come to Jesus. That’s the point.”
He continued later: “Whenever you surrender to Him, that’s when everything will be washed away and you will be made renewed in Him. The faster that you can come to Him and run to Him and totally surrender your heart and your mind to Him, that’s the better off you’re going to be.
“There’s no amount of good behavior that you can do that will allow you to feel like you’re righteous enough to come to Him, because you never will be. It’s just a realization that He is what makes you righteous. He’s what makes you perfect.”
Downs, after just three collegiate seasons, officially declared for the NFL Draft on Jan. 7 and made sure to point his gratitude to God with a post on Instagram.
“Everything I’ve been able to achieve starts with my faith,” he wrote. “I’m grateful to God for the direction, strength, and purpose He’s given me. And I will continue to glorify, honor, and praise Him throughout this journey.”
The NFL Draft goes from April 23-25 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST WITH MATT FORTE, FEATURING DAVID POLLACK
David Pollack is a former University of Georgia All-American linebacker, who was a first-round draft pick in 2005 by the Cincinnati Bengals. After his playing career, he spent more than a decade at ESPN as a college football analyst. He is also the co-host of the “Family Goals” podcast and the host of the “See Ball Get Ball” podcast.
Today on Sports Spectrum, we welcome David Pollack back to the show as he provides an update on his wife’s battle with brain cancer, trusting God in the storms of life, his just-released book “Every Day Counts,” and the 2026 NFL Draft.
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST WITH MATT FORTE, FEATURING JAMEIS WINSTON
Jameis Winston is an NFL quarterback who played the 2025 season with the New York Giants. He was originally selected No. 1 overall in the 2015 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and after five seasons with Tampa moved to New Orleans, where he spent the next four seasons with the Saints. In 2024, he signed a one-year deal with Cleveland, and in 2025, he signed a two-year deal with New York.
In college, Winston was the 2013 Heisman Trophy winner, and a few weeks later led his Florida State Seminoles to a BCS National Championship victory over Auburn.
Today on the podcast, Jameis Winston is back on the show for an inspiring and wide-ranging conversation about faith, football, his surprising receiving touchdown last season, and how much longer he plans to compete at the highest level of the NFL. A powerful and candid discussion between Winston and host Matt Forte.
