Colts' Spencer Shrader before game-winning kick: 'God loves you'

Colts kicker Spencer Shrader told himself ‘God loves you no matter what’ before game-winning field goal

By Kevin Mercer Sep 15, 2025

Colts kicker Spencer Shrader (3) points Heavenward as his game-winning field goal sails through the uprights, Sept. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Indianapolis Colts kicker Spencer Shrader was already having quite the Sunday. He’d nailed both of his extra-point attempts and all four field goals, including two second-half kicks to help the Colts trim their deficit against the Denver Broncos to just two points.

Now, he needed to do it once more for the victory, but this time from 60 yards away with just three seconds on the clock. With the once-raucous home crowd holding its collective breath, Shrader lined up the attempt. Good snap, good hold, solid contact, but the kick drifted right. As Broncos players began to celebrate, the officials convened. Penalty on Denver — illegal leverage, 15-yard penalty. Shrader would have another opportunity, this time from 45 yards out.

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The second-year kicker out of Notre Dame, in just his sixth NFL game, shook off his miss that didn’t count and calmly booted the ball through the uprights for the wild 29-28 win.

SPENCER SHRADER WINS IT FOR THE @COLTS! pic.twitter.com/LIjazH29Sj

— NFL (@NFL) September 14, 2025

Shrader was then mobbed by teammates, and fans showered him with praise as he exited the field.

“That’s a blessing right there, to see the guys that joyful after a team win like that is truly a special experience,” Shrader told reporters in the locker room after the game. “And to know that I played my part in creating that environment at the end of the day is something that makes you feel really special.”

Then, Shrader revealed he leaned on his assurance of God’s love during the pressure-packed final sequence.

“I was obviously trying to stay as calm as I could on the sideline and just thinking about, ‘Listen, God loves you no matter what,'” he said. “‘Just go out there and do your best for the team. … The Lord has a plan for you.’ He put me in that situation. I believed in Him and I trusted in Him, and I was able to execute. And even if I hadn’t, I know that He would still love me.”

The 26-year-old is a perfect 14-for-14 on field goals in his young career (nine in two games this season) after his five successful attempts on Sunday. He’s also 14-for-14 on extra-point tries. Meanwhile, the Colts are 2-0 for the first time since 2009, and they already have sole possession of first place in the AFC South.

Last season, Shrader bounced around among the New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs and Colts, both on active rosters and practice squads. After finishing the season on the Chiefs’ injured reserve, he re-signed with the Colts in March. Shrader may have found a long-term home, given his perfect start to the 2025 season.

Before his entrance into the NFL as an undrafted free agent, Shrader spent four seasons with the University of South Florida and his final season of college eligibility with Notre Dame in 2023. He chose Notre Dame in part because of the emphasis on Christian faith at the school.

“My faith is at the forefront of everything that I do,” he said via On SI in December 2022. “… I align with everything that the university represents.”

He continued later: “My No. 1 goal is to impact people in a positive way through my faith, while also contributing to on-the-field success. I know that Notre Dame will be supportive of my goals as a brother in Christ before all else!”

Shrader, who describes himself as a “Follower of Christ” in his Instagram bio, often references his faith in his posts.

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This past July, Shrader married former Notre Dame soccer player Korbin Shrader (née Albert), who is currently on the U.S. women’s national team and OL Lyonnes in France. Together, the couple seeks to build a marriage centered on Christ.

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Shrader and his Colts will take their undefeated record on the road in Week 3, as they are set to face the Tennessee Titans (0-2) in their first divisional matchup of the season. Kickoff from Nashville is set for Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.

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Football

Three years after cardiac arrest, Bills DB Damar Hamlin gets baptized: ‘I got right with God’

By Cole Claybourn Feb 12, 2026

Bills safety Damar Hamlin gets baptized by team chaplain Len Vanden Bos (right) and teammate Christian Benford. (Photo courtesy Len Vanden Bos)

The night of Jan. 2, 2023, changed Damar Hamlin’s life forever. A little more than three years later, the Buffalo Bills safety experienced another life-changing moment — in a very different way — when he decided to get baptized.

On Jan. 9, surrounded by family and members of the Bills organization, Hamlin was baptized by team chaplain Len Vanden Bos and teammate Christian Benford. It was a step Hamlin had been considering for more than a year and one he didn’t want to rush.

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“It was important for it to be the right time,” Hamlin told Sports Spectrum last week at Super Bowl Media Row. “I wanted my family to be able to make it up to Buffalo to be there. I don’t want to say that I’m a completely new person, but my sense of direction and purpose and alignment with who I feel like I’m supposed to be has been on point. It brings me peace.”

For many, Hamlin’s name remains tied to the cardiac arrest he suffered during a “Monday Night Football” game against the Cincinnati Bengals in January 2023. The game was suspended as medical personnel worked to revive him on the field, and what followed was an outpouring of prayer that stretched far beyond football.

When he looks back on his life, he can see how God was forming him to endure that experience and use it to point people toward Him.

“My faith was very strong — always,” he said. “I always had an internal connection to the Lord. It feels like my faith before wasn’t built up for everything. It truly feels like every experience that I live, everything that I’ve been through as a kid growing up, it was moments to prepare me for what God was going to bless me with.

“I feel like all the work I was doing, God truly just hand-picked me and said, ‘I’m going to choose you for this.'”

Hamlin believes the experience positioned him to witness something larger than football. It allowed him “to be at the center of so much love, so much prayer, bringing people together,” and it also brought a bigger spotlight to his foundation, the Chasing M’s Foundation. Designed to support youth and community initiatives such as toy drives, educational scholarships and promoting health safety, the foundation expanded its mission after Hamlin’s cardiac arrest to include automated external defibrillator distribution and CPR training.

Ultimately, his story led thousands around the sports world and beyond to turn to God in prayer, and resulted in millions of dollars raised for God-honoring causes.

“I have people who were never believers — ever — dropping to their knees and talking to God and finding God through caring for me,” he said. “That’s a blessed position to be in.”

Hamlin remained in the hospital for almost two weeks following the incident, and there were questions about whether it was safe for him to return to football, if his body even got strong enough for him to be able to. It was a trying time and a season that left him with a new perspective.

“To have that perspective, to know that God chose me for a higher purpose — even beyond the game — it truly makes me feel like a chosen one,” he said.

Hamlin said his faith journey has remained active since that night in Cincinnati. He grew up in a Christian home and later attended a Catholic high school, where he studied the Catholic faith closely. That experience led him to focus even more on his personal relationship with God.

“That’s why I always feel like I’ve been tied to the Lord — even before,” he said. “I really learned the most through the phase of injury I had this season. I tore my pec, like, Week 7 or 8 and I was down for a few weeks.”

But recently, his relationship with both Benford and Vanden Bos has helped him grow even deeper.

“Len truly has just been pushing me and helping me grow within my faith,” Hamlin said. “We meet once a week and continue to grow.”

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Following the cardiac arrest, Hamlin returned to the field and played in five games during the 2023 season, then started 14 games in 2024. He was limited to only five in 2025 but described this season as the happiest and most focused he’s felt in his life.

The time away from the field proved formative. He said he felt like he learned more about himself and his faith through that injury than anything else he’s experienced.

“That process really taught me so much about myself,” Hamlin said. “I didn’t have the season I wanted, I had the season I needed. I slowed myself down. I got right with God. I had to listen. I had to sit myself down and listen. The isolation away from the team gave me time. I truly think this period of time that I missed this season will prolong my career for however long that I want to play.

“And it ultimately led to me getting baptized. It was exactly what I needed, so I’m not looking back.”

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Coaches Football

Klint Kubiak named Las Vegas Raiders head coach: ‘I’m sitting right here because of Jesus Christ’

By Cole Claybourn Feb 11, 2026

Klint Kubiak (26) is introduced as the Las Vegas Raiders head coach, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)

Klint Kubiak was introduced Tuesday as the new head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, and in his first public comments in the role, he made clear where he believes the opportunity ultimately came from.

“I just want to thank God for the opportunity to sit in front of you guys today,” Kubiak said at his introductory press conference. “God had a plan for this day that I could never have seen and I’m just grateful.”

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The 38-year-old becomes one of the youngest head coaches in the NFL after helping lead the Seattle Seahawks to a Super Bowl championship on Sunday. Powered in part by Kubiak’s offense, the Seahawks finished the regular season with a 14-3 record and earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC en route to the franchise’s second Super Bowl championship. In his one season as Seattle’s offensive coordinator, Kubiak helped the Seahawks offense rank third in points (28.4 per game), eighth in total yards (351.4), eighth in passing yards (228.1) and tie for 10th in rushing yards (123.3).

He now takes over in Las Vegas tasked with leading the Raiders back to the playoffs for the first time since 2021. With young stars in tight end Brock Bowers and running back Ashton Jeanty already on the roster, the Raiders hold the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and are expected to select quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who won the Heisman Trophy and led Indiana to a national championship.

But Kubiak said his identity is rooted in something far deeper than wins, losses or job titles.

“I see my identity as a child of God,” he said during Tuesday’s press conference. “I know that I’m sitting right here because of Jesus Christ. It wasn’t always that way. I’ve had some great mentors that helped me who know the Gospels better. My goal is to live out the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes and let those values show through in my current coaching. I fall short of that a lot, but I always go back to the building blocks, which is the Bible.”

How great is this from Klint Kubiak?
New Las Vegas Raiders head coach shares about his faith at his introductory press conference.

"I'm sitting right here because of Jesus Christ." pic.twitter.com/obSYZDKR3y

— Sports Spectrum (@Sports_Spectrum) February 10, 2026

Kubiak has been open about that foundation throughout his rise in the NFL. Last week during Super Bowl LX Opening Night, he told Sports Spectrum that learning to separate his identity from his profession changed the way he approached coaching and life.

“Your identity is not in your job; our identity is in Christ,” Kubiak told Sports Spectrum. “When I learned that, and I spent more time in the Word from all the mentors I had in coaching that helped me get into Bible studies and read the Word every day, it took a really heavy load off just knowing that I’m a child of God.

“Football is something that I do, but trying to be a good father and be a faithful husband is way more important than any of that.”

"This is my favorite question of the night … Our identity is in Christ."

Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak shared about his faith and gifting his entire team a Bible at Christmas pic.twitter.com/zt2ecn3d1s

— Sports Spectrum (@Sports_Spectrum) February 4, 2026

Kubiak’s faith has also shaped the way he relates to players. During the Seahawks’ 2025 season, he provided one of the team’s most memorable off-the-field moments by purchasing Bibles for every player and coach as a Christmas gift.

“That’s the most important thing,” Kubiak told Sports Spectrum when asked about the gesture. “You’re trying to find Christmas gifts for guys every year to show them that you love them, and what better gift than that?”

Kubiak is taking over for Pete Carroll, who went 3-14 in his only season leading the Raiders, which followed 14 years at the helm of the Seahawks, including the franchise’s first Super Bowl win in 2013-14. Prior to Kubiak’s lone season with Seattle, he was the offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints (2024) and Minnesota Vikings (2021), and held various other roles with numerous teams. He is the son of former NFL coach and player Gary Kubiak.

As he begins his tenure in Las Vegas, Kubiak said he hopes the values he draws from Scripture will continue to guide his leadership — even as he navigates the pressures that come with leading an NFL franchise.

“I fall short,” he said during Tuesday’s press conference, “but I always go back to the Bible.”

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Football

49ers RB Christian McCaffrey honored at Super Bowl Breakfast, credits ‘my faith in Jesus’

By Kevin Mercer Feb 10, 2026

Christian McCaffrey (center) with the 2026 Bart Starr Award. (Photo courtesy of Instagram@christianmccaffrey)

As hundreds of celebrities, media personnel and former NFL greats descended on the Bay Area last week to celebrate football at Super Bowl LX, football and faith in Christ were celebrated in a powerful way at the annual Super Bowl Breakfast on Saturday morning.

The pinnacle of the morning, as it is each year, was the presentation of the esteemed Bart Starr Award, given this year to San Francisco 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey.

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“I feel just immense gratitude as I’m standing up here receiving this award that means so much to me,” McCaffrey said as he began his acceptance speech at the breakfast.

According to its website, the Bart Starr Award is presented annually “to honor the NFL player who best exemplifies outstanding character and leadership in the home, on the field, and in the community.” McCaffrey posted about receiving the award on his Instagram account on Monday.

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In his speech, McCaffrey told of the joy of reaching a Super Bowl (which he did in February 2024 with the 49ers) followed by the discouragement of another season derailed by injuries (he played only four games in 2024-25).

“It was in those moments where God was the most evident,” McCaffrey said Saturday morning. “I found myself relying on many verses, one being Psalm 23: ‘The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want’ (v. 1). And that, to me, is something that I stuck with for that entire year.

“To stop wanting. To truly surrender. And that was something for me that in prayer and in my support staff and all the people who helped me, I didn’t make it about winning Super Bowls anymore. I didn’t make it about anything else other than surrendering to what the Lord had in store for me.”

Another Bible verse that McCaffrey said has deeply impacted him came from the Book of Exodus.

“The things that were consistent for me — that I truly believe I wouldn’t be standing up here without it — was God, my faith in Jesus, and the people around me. And the verse this year, that I gotta continue to say to myself, is Exodus 14:14, which is, ‘The Lord will fight for you, you must only be still.’ … When you know that all you have to do is be still, all you have to do is continue fighting, all you have to do is show up and do the best job you can, let God fight for you.”

McCaffrey played all 17 regular-season games in 2025-26, rushing for 1,202 yards and 10 touchdowns while catching 102 passes for 924 yards and seven touchdowns. The 49ers as a whole bounced back from a rough 2024-25 season by finishing 12-5 and earning the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoffs. There, they upended the reigning-champion Philadelphia Eagles in the wild-card round before falling to the eventual champions, the Seattle Seahawks, in the divisional round.

At NFL Honors on Thursday night, McCaffrey was rewarded for his big year by being named the 2025-26 NFL Comeback Player of the Year. He was also recognized that night for winning the Salute to Service Award.

However, being named the recipient of the Bart Starr Award seemed to mean a little something extra to the 29-year-old running back.

“To Athletes in Action, thanks for giving our faith a platform,” McCaffrey said as he concluded his acceptance speech. “Thanks for making this award not just about football but about people like myself and the communities that I’ve been so blessed to be a part of. I just want to say thank you guys for being here and standing for something bigger than yourself, just like we as football players do.”

Athletes in Action (AIA) is the sports wing of the campus ministry Cru. The Super Bowl Breakfast is organized and hosted each year by AIA, and the breakfast always ends with a Gospel presentation. On Saturday, it was Hall of Famer and legendary 49ers tight end Brent Jones who delivered the Good News of Jesus Christ.

“[Jesus] never did anything wrong, and He died on a cross to pay the price for all the things that I did — that we did — wrong,” Jones said. “Then He rose from the dead. More than 500 people saw Him after He rose, and many of them wrote about it in the Bible. He did all this so that you and I could be in relationship with God. To not have to earn His favor by what we do or what we say, but to be completely forgiven and in right standing with Him regardless of what we’ve done or said.

“So life in relationship with Him, today and for all eternity, is a free gift. Nothing you and I can do can earn it. All it takes is simply to acknowledge Jesus as your Savior and trust in Him to direct your life.”

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Coaches Football

Head coach Mike Macdonald drives Seahawks defense to Super Bowl win: ‘God called me to be a coach’

By Jon Ackerman Feb 9, 2026

Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald holds the Lombardi Trophy after winning Super Bowl LX, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

As the third quarter of Super LX wound down Sunday night in Santa Clara, California, the game was a defensive battle. Neither the Seattle Seahawks nor the New England Patriots had scored a touchdown, with Seattle’s four field goals making up the only points.

It was just the way Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald preferred it. As the team’s defensive play-caller, his unit was rolling.

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Then the “Dark Side” put the game away. With 16 seconds left in the third, Derick Hall forced a fumble by Patriots quarterback Drake Maye. Five plays later, Seahawks QB Sam Darnold hit tight end AJ Barner for the game’s first touchdown and a 19-0 lead.

Derick Hall knocks it loose and Byron Murphy recovers!

Super Bowl LX on NBC
Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/oxechiL1q3

— NFL (@NFL) February 9, 2026

New England responded with a touchdown of its own and then forced a Seattle punt, but Seahawks safety Julian Love thwarted the Patriots’ next drive with an interception. That led to another Seattle field goal. Then, with 4:27 left in the fourth, the Seahawks’ pressure again got to Maye, who was hit as he was throwing, sending the ball directly to Seattle’s Uchenna Nwosu, who ran it 45 yards for a touchdown.

Devon Witherspoon brings the heat and Nwosu finishes the play 🔥

Super Bowl LX on NBC
Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/kvQIdjdPgs

— NFL (@NFL) February 9, 2026

New England would manage a late TD, but ultimately Seattle cruised to a 29-13 victory for its second championship in franchise history.

When asked about his defense after being handed the Lombardi Trophy, Macdonald said, “They just made a decision they were going to play a certain way; they lived up to the ‘Dark Side’ today. It’s going to go down in the history books.”

The defensive performance wasn’t a surprise, considering the Seahawks finished the 2025-26 regular season allowing the fewest points in the league (17.2 per game) and the sixth-fewest yards (285.6). They ranked No. 8 in overall sacks (47 on the year), but racked up six against the Patriots, one shy of matching the Super Bowl record.

The dominant defensive showing makes Macdonald the first head coach that serves as a team’s primary defensive play-caller to win a Super Bowl, according to The Athletic. And at 38 years old, he becomes the third-youngest coach to hoist the Lombardi (behind Sean McVay and Mike Tomlin).

And to think, Macdonald nearly became an accountant. He had a finance degree and a master’s in sport management from Georgia when his graduate assistant coaching eligibility ran out, so he took a job with the financial firm KPMG. But a year later in 2014, he left to take an intern coaching role with the Baltimore Ravens.

Twelve years later, in just his second year as a head coach, he’s a Super Bowl champion.

“I believe God called me to be a coach and I listened to Him, and I thank Him,” Macdonald said during Sunday’s trophy presentation when asked about his journey. “We are incredibly blessed to be Seahawks, to be 12s, and now we’re world champions.”

Mike Macdonald is a Super Bowl champ in his second year as a head coach ‼️ pic.twitter.com/oGyGB7H9rO

— NFL (@NFL) February 9, 2026

Later, in his postgame press conference, Coach Macdonald was asked about that reference to God and how his faith has helped this team.

“One of the great things about our team is we grow together and that’s part of my life that’s been a journey,” he said. “My faith hasn’t always been strong. You have doubts, it’s kind of a roller coaster ride, and over the last few years it’s been really strengthened. You see what our players do and what [team chaplain] Jonathan Rainey does every day and brings people together. It’s a journey that we’re in together. It’s empowering and it’s inspiring to pursue that part of your life that’s so important.”

Earlier in the week at Super Bowl LX’s Opening Night, Sports Spectrum also asked Macdonald about his faith in Christ and how it has helped him lead his team to a Super Bowl.

“I appreciate you asking,” he responded. “My faith has really grown over the last couple years. That’s what I lean on. That’s where your strength comes from. Recently I have so much gratitude, and then ultimately strength, that you feel like God has put you in a position to lead these people.

“[Faith is] your guiding light every day, so it’s something that I can hopefully continue to grow, and hopefully our players continue to seek it out — seek their faith and grow in their faith. It’s really special, and we got a lot of guys that are examples for me, too.”

“I have this gratitude and ultimately strength that God has put you in a position to lead these people.”

Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Mike McDonald shares how his faith in Christ has helped him lead his team to Super Bowl LX. pic.twitter.com/8FXoT5yYPA

— Sports Spectrum (@Sports_Spectrum) February 4, 2026

One of Macdonald’s examples has been Leslie Frazier, a longtime defensive coach in the NFL (and Minnesota’s head coach from 2011-13) whom Macdonald brought in as an assistant head coach when he took over the Seahawks in 2024. Macdonald said Sunday, “We would not be having this press conference right now if Leslie wasn’t a Seahawk. He was the first person I called when we got the job.”

Sports Spectrum also spoke with Frazier at Super Bowl LX Opening Night, and he shared about the culture of faith within the Seahawks, as well as his own personal journey with the Lord, citing teammates of his who helped strengthen him.

“There’s a bond there that goes beyond just being teammates, because there’s a love for one another that’s based on our faith,” he said. “We have a ton of guys and coaches that love the Lord, and so you’re pulling for your brothers all the time. … You need other people to hold you accountable. You need someone to disciple you to help you grow in your faith, because life can be challenging, and you need to know where you turn when things get difficult. For me, that’s been Jesus Christ.”

Another coach pursuing the Lord is Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. His game plan Sunday helped running back Kenneth Walker III to 135 rushing yards and Super Bowl MVP honors, and Kubiak confirmed after the game that he’ll become the new head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, but he left his mark on Seattle’s locker room. Earlier this year, Kubiak bought Bibles for every Seattle player and coach.

“Your identity is not in your job; our identity is in Christ,” Kubiak told Sports Spectrum on Opening Night. “When I learned that, and I spent more time in the Word from all the mentors I had in coaching that helped me get into Bible studies and read the Word every day, it took a really heavy load off just knowing that I’m a child of God.”

That common faith in Jesus helped to bond many Seahawks this year, resulting in a season that will never be forgotten.

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