By Mallory Mattingly
The New England Patriots took the win over the Houston Texans at their NFL Divisional Round playoff game on Sunday, but just like any other game, no matter the outcome, players still met at the 50-yard line for a moment of prayer.
Athletes including Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, Texans quarterback CJ Stroud, patriots tight end Hunter Henry and many others gathered to praise and honor Jesus.
Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans did the same thing in the post-game press conference.
Related: Texans Defense Dominates Steelers as Head Coach Praises God After Playoff Victory
“First and foremost, and all glory, honor and praise to God,” Ryans declared. “I’m just thankful for the season that we were able to have. Didn’t finish the way we would have liked to have seen, but I’m proud of this team, proud of these guys for just being a light and shining bright.”
“The guys accomplished a lot of firsts, did a lot of great things throughout this year, provided a ton of inspiration to a lot of people, especially to the city of Houston,” he continued. “We’re not coming back with a win, but we have a ton of fans that are proud of what these guys were able to accomplish this year, and I’m proud of these guys, as well.”
Though Stroud did not have the game that he intended — he had four interceptions in the first half alone — he thanked God for the game anyways.
“First, before I do anything, I want to give God the glory, my Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Without him, I’m nothing, and I just appreciate him giving me this opportunity, this platform to play this great game with this great organization. Just grateful for that. I mean,” the Texans quarterback said.
“I think I’m a pretty self-confident person. I think when they started to pile up, I tried my best just to stay locked in in the Spirit and realize I’ve just got to be there for my teammates, and they encouraged me a lot through it,” he continued. “I’m really appreciative of this team and them doing that because they didn’t have to. But yeah, it was not easy. It’s something that I’m going to learn from. I’m just grateful my teammates were picking me up.”
Texans defensive Tackle Tommy Togiai also took a moment to thank God for the season.
“First of all, I just want to shout out God. Just thankful for the position we put everybody in and being here,” Togiai said. “Obviously, yeah, not the result we were looking for. Just proud of all the guys, all season, being resilient and fighting till the very end. We came up short. I’m just proud of the guys that I went to war with every day.”
Though the Texans didn’t get the outcome they hoped for, it’s an incredible testimony to see them unite with their opponents and pray together.
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