Kelvin Beachum (68) in 2017. (Photo Courtesy: The Jet Press/Twitter)
We started the season off with a bang, but then endured a losing streak. We’ve been able to get some of that momentum back, and we’re gearing up for a midseason run. At the end of the day, we all want to find a way to thrive on the field, not just as individuals, but as a team.
We’re trying to just put four quarters together and it’s not always easy to do that. But we have to find a way to do that and do it consistently. With new coaches, new personalities and new philosophies, it’s an adjustment. Whenever you need to learn how to do things a different way, you will have to work out some kinks. And working with people always has its challenges, but it’s been good.
I often pray about this for myself, as well as ask for prayer from my wife. When you’re not winning games like you want to, you have to lean into your faith in God and His plan. Though, when you’re winning, you have to just as much. There may even be more to distract you from God when you are finding success.
Prayer is everything to me. The ability to talk through things with God is crucial. Maybe I’m not thinking in the right way about challenges within the job, maybe I’m not speaking to my teammates or coaches the way I should be, but I’m always able to ask the Lord to bridle my tongue, guide my thoughts and humble my spirit. This consistent conversation with the Father is important. I’m able to ask His Son Jesus Christ to petition for me as well as comfort me during challenges. The Trinity is a powerful source that helps me every day, and prayer is what triggers all these things to work together for my good and the good of the Kingdom.
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” — Romans 8:28
I would hope that my teammates would be able to look at my life and say that I’m consistent. I believe that is the ultimate measure of a Christian man. It’s not always going to be easy; the path isn’t always going to be hunky dory. But more than anything, it’s important to be a light, to be that person others know they can talk to, pray with, lean on and trust in any situation.
With that, I also want to be a consistent competitor — someone who aims to win at all times, challenging and bringing the best out of my teammates while having empathy and compassion for them at the same time. I’m not perfect, and neither are my teammates, but I can be a light to them.
At the end of the day, whether things go well on the field or not, we have a job to do and I can do mine with an eternal perspective, being a beacon of light to those around me.
— Kelvin Beachum, New York Jets offensive tackle
The Increase, part of the Sports Spectrum Network, is a community of Christian pro athletes sharing their personal stories of the decrease of self and the increase of Christ (John 3:30). Visit TheIncrease.com for more stories and videos.
New England Patriots QB Drake Maye, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Greg M. Cooper)
Last season, second-year New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye was neck-and-neck with Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford in the MVP race for much of the fall. Stafford eventually won it, but expectations for Maye’s third professional season were through the roof.
Yet after New England’s first three games of 2026, Maye had thrown just one touchdown to go along with six interceptions, and the Patriots were 1-2. But he delivered a three-TD, one-interception performance in last week’s 29-26 road win against the division-rival Buffalo Bills, and then in Sunday’s 45-17 blowout of the Las Vegas Raiders, Maye fully reversed the early-season narrative and demonstrated why many consider him one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks.
Maye led all QBs in Week 5 (with the Bills and Rams still to play on Monday) with 374 passing yards, completing 26 of his 34 attempts and tossing four touchdowns and no interceptions. He also added 25 yards and a score on the ground, marking his second NFL game with five TDs. His 374 passing yards were six shy of a career high.
"We got a good squad. We gotta bring it every week and keep building off of it."@Melanie_Collins catches up with Drake Maye after his 5-TD performance pic.twitter.com/62etX23X6H
New England’s big offseason trade acquisition was wide receiver A.J. Brown, but he went down with a high ankle sprain in Week 1 and is on injured reserve. With Brown out, Maye has been throwing to other lesser-known receiving options, and in Sunday’s postgame press conference, he said helping those teammates shine is one of his favorite things about being the starting QB.
“I just love to see guys that do the right things over and over and finally get rewarded in the game,” the Huntersville, North Carolina, native said. “I think that’s one of the best things about my position is (I’m) able to spread the wealth and see other guys succeed. And it’s just beautiful to watch.”
The Patriots now seem to be clicking offensively and defensively, and are now just a half-game back of the Bills for first place in the AFC East. It’s a far cry from where the Pats were just a couple weeks ago, when they were 1-2 and had just been blown out by the Jacksonville Jaguars, 35-6. Later that week, Maye was asked in a press conference what he leans on when he isn’t playing well and the team isn’t winning.
“First off, my faith,” he responded. “I think you gotta lean on your faith. There’s nothing more important. My purpose in this life is to be a child of the Lord, and knowing that, ‘Man, I’m blessed to be in this position.’ There’s just always something I can lean on in my faith and having a good group in this locker room.”
Maye has also been quick to praise God when circumstances are better, such as when he was preparing to lead the Patriots into Super Bowl LX in February. Surrounded by reporters at Super Bowl media availability, the then-23-year-old boldly declared that football glory isn’t his highest priority.
“Knowing that [God’s Word is] bigger than football has been such a thing for me to lean on and take my thoughts away from football and know that this is my purpose and this is why I’m here on this stage today,” he told Sports Spectrum. “Being able to shine a light on others and get them to follow Jesus Christ is what I’m here for and what God put me here to do.”
"Being able to shine light on others and get them to follow Jesus Christ is what I'm here for."
We talked to New England Patriots QB Drake Maye at Super Bowl LX media availability pic.twitter.com/ZIHaoigIHe
At another press conference a few days before, he made it clear Who guides his steps.
“I’m a follower of Jesus Christ,” he said. “It’s the biggest thing in my life. And keeping that at No. 1, and knowing that that is what’s gotten me here and what helps me get here. I can shine light on others, hopefully leading them to a relationship with Him or doing whatever I can to help lead them to Jesus Christ, knowing how their life can change and what it can do for them.”
Maye has seen firsthand the joys of having a relationship with Christ, and he wants others to come to know Him too, even as he seeks to continue to help New England keep pace with Buffalo in the division race. Next up, the Patriots will host another divisional opponent, the New York Jets (2-3), on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
The Dallas Cowboys have a new word to describe their mindset on and off the field each week: “Godfidence.” It’s a word head coach Brian Schottenheimer brought into the team’s vocabulary as he looks to build a culture of faith, purpose and brotherhood.
For Schottenheimer, his faith in Jesus isn’t merely a motivational tool that he pulls out when things are going well. It’s at the center of how he views his life and his work, and it’s something he’s made clear is the most important thing to him since he took over as head coach in January 2025.
“That’s who he is,” quarterback Dak Prescott said during his press conference after Sunday’s 34-30 win over Houston. “That’s who I am, and that’s who a lot of our guys on our team are. Just trying to be contagious, understanding that we’re all here because of God and we’re all here to serve a greater purpose.”
Prescott has been with the Cowboys for 11 seasons and played under three different head coaches. He said there’s a noticeable difference in the culture under Schottenheimer, especially as it pertains to players feeling more comfortable in expressing and being vocal about their faith.
There usually aren’t many empty seats at team chapels, which Prescott said is also a credit to team chaplain Jonathan Evans and his father, Dr. Tony Evans.
“I’ve been through so much in my life. God’s always been the reason and Who I fall back on and my refuge,” Prescott said. “I can’t thank Him enough and never will be able to thank Him enough. So just to see that transcend throughout our team, starting with our head coach, is special. It’s something we take pride in, but at the end of the day, it’s about giving Him the glory.”
The Cowboys are 2-2 and enter a primetime game on “Thursday Night Football” against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Dallas is averaging 30.5 points per game, which is tied for second in the NFL, with Schottenheimer in his second year as head coach and primary playcaller after serving as the offensive coordinator under Mike McCarthy from 2023 to 2024.
Schottenheimer’s message on the field so far this season has been about consistency and finishing. And connecting it all is the idea that they’re one family. Schottenheimer makes no apologies for what fuels him.
“God is the center of everything that I do — as a husband, father, football coach, whatever,” he said in his press conference Monday. “I think it’s very strong among our team.”
He displays that faith with his action, but also publicly on his body. He has five tattoos that he says remind him of his “whys.” On his left forearm is “Jireh” which is Hebrew for “The Lord will provide.” Near that one are three nails in the form of a cross.
When McCarthy and the Cowboys agreed to part ways, there was always a risk that coordinators like Schottenheimer would also be left out of a job if the new head coach wanted to bring in their own hires. At 51 years old, Schottenheimer had put together a lengthy resume as a position coach and coordinator, so he’d likely be able to find work on another staff. But the thought of having to move and start over again elsewhere crossed his and his wife Gemmi’s minds.
Their faith kept them grounded, she recently said.
“If we didn’t have our faith, I think we could’ve crumbled many times,” Gemmi said this summer on the “Twins Take Podcast.” “This is such an unstable life that we live and you never know what’s next. It’s really year-to-year and it’s a lot of uncertainty. But I think we’ve always had this solid foundation of knowing that the Lord’s never going to leave us and He’s never going to guide us in the wrong direction. We may not like it, but I think we know that what we’re doing is exactly what we’re supposed to be doing.”
Whatever his next path looked like, Schottenheimer still hoped that being a head coach would be part of his resume one day. And as it turned out, he didn’t have to move, and his chance to become a head coach also came. Instead of hiring an external candidate, owner and general manager Jerry Jones elevated Schottenheimer to head coach ahead of the 2025 season.
“We were really just obedient in that regard and we were just like, ‘Whatever You have in store for us is what’s meant to be,’ and then it happened,” Gemmi said. “You have to just trust that whatever path you’re on, that’s exactly where God has you and you’re supposed to be there. You never know when something is going to happen.”
Among his many stops, Schottenheimer recalled being a quarterbacks coach under his father, longtime NFL coach Marty Schottenheimer, for the San Diego Chargers in 2003. Team chaplain Shawn Mitchell made a profound impact on him and his faith, and the younger Schottenheimer felt led to start a coach’s Bible study. He was just 28 years old and it was about six months before he found out he had thyroid cancer. Meanwhile, Gemmi was three months pregnant with their son, Sutton.
Brian credits that season of life to helping him get much more connected with God personally, and it also helped strengthen his and Gemmi’s marriage and faith walks.
“Some of the things that we’ve been through are bigger than football,” he said on the podcast. “Football is our job. It’s not our life. We love it. It’s what we do, but it all starts with God.”
Carolina Panthers WR Tetairoa McMillan points Heavenward after one of his touchdowns, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)
Carolina Panthers second-year wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan chose a great time to have his best game as a professional, as he snagged 14 receptions for 192 yards and two touchdowns to lead Carolina past the Detroit Lions, 32-26, on “Sunday Night Football.” The performance set career highs in both receptions and yards, and it tied a career high in receiving TDs.
Later, the Panthers added another touchdown and a field goal to hold on for the victory, which moved them to 2-2 on the season and guaranteed they’ll be tied atop the NFC South after Week 4 (the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints — both 1-2 — play Monday night).
“Obviously, it’s a good feeling,” McMillan said of his performance in Sunday’s postgame press conference, with his characteristic eye-black crosses still on his face. “It’s just in that moment, I just feel the trust from obviously the coordinators making the call for me, getting the ball in my hands, and obviously [Young] just giving me the opportunity. Just super grateful, for sure.”
McMillan’s two receiving touchdowns under the Sunday night lights were the first two of his 2026-27 season, although he did reach the 100-yard plateau in Week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons. His scoring drought to begin this season nearly mirrored his rookie campaign a year ago, when he didn’t catch a TD until Carolina’s sixth game.
“I’m not really worried about it, man,” McMillan said last year after being asked about his lack of touchdowns early in the season. “God never makes a mistake. When the time comes and it happens, it’s meant to be.”
Despite the delay, McMillan finished last season with seven touchdowns and 1,014 yards on 70 receptions, a performance which earned him NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in February. In his acceptance speech at NFL Honors, McMillan made sure to credit his Heavenly Father.
“God has just been so amazing to me,” he said while wearing a cross necklace and a traditional Hawaiian lei. “He has blessed me with amazing opportunities. He has surrounded me with such incredible people who have invested in me and impacted my life. God is just so amazing. Without Him, none of this would be possible. I’m just so grateful, so blessed, man.”
McMillan was born in Hawaii, and family is central in Hawaiian culture. The McMillans are no different. Tetairoa’s mother, Shawny Dutro, introduced him at NFL Honors wearing a lei of her own. Meanwhile, Tetairoa credits his grandmother, Blanche McMillan, with inspiring him in all areas of his life.
“She inspires me in her faith,” Tetairoa said of his grandmother last season, via Panthers.com. “She’s so strong in her faith. She’s always been the rock of our family. … I feel like she taught me a lot about humility, hospitality, just having a big heart. Even to this day, she still surprises me with how big her heart is.”
Shortly after Tetairoa’s NFL dream came true when Carolina selected him No. 8 overall in the 2025 draft, the McMillan family threw him a party in Hawaii with many friends, such as Fifita, and family in attendance. The party featured worship music, and McMillan even came on stage to lead the crowd in a song.
At one point during the party, Fifita told McMillan, “It’s just amazing to see that as far as you’ve come, as much limelight as you’ve gotten, the attention, all the accolades, you’ve never forgotten who your identity was. You always identify in Christ. You give Him all the glory.”
Praising the Lord is something McMillan did often in the aftermath of the draft, including on social media.
As he seeks to continue to honor God on and off the field, McMillan will have a few extra days to enjoy Sunday’s performance; Carolina is now on its bye week. The Panthers are back in action for a road matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, Oct. 18, at 1 p.m. ET.
