NFL QBs Justin Fields and C.J. Stroud Praise Jesus for Guiding Them through Trials

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A pair of NFL quarterbacks who have battled through adversity on the field this year used their platform Sunday to praise Jesus. One week after getting benched, New York’s Justin Fields completed 21 of 32 passes for 244 yards and a touchdown, as the Jets scored 23 fourth-quarter points to stun Cincinnati, 39-38, and capture their first win of the season. Houston’s C.J. Stroud also was lighting up the gridiron, completing 30 of 39 passes for 318 yards and two touchdowns in the Texans’ 26-15 victory over San Francisco. After beginning the season 0-3, Houston has now won three of its last four games.  

Fields’ performance was all the more remarkable because he wasn’t even expected to start. Benched at halftime during a 13–6 loss to Carolina on Oct. 19, he likely would have remained on the sidelines Sunday—until an injury to the team’s other quarterback, Tyrod Taylor, thrust Fields back into the starting role. Fields told reporters that he nearly started crying after Sunday’s win, grateful for the “goodness of God.” It wasn’t the first time over the past week that he grew emotional. 

“I'm gonna get pretty vulnerable right here,” Fields told reporters. “But this week, I kind of found myself in my closet, crying on the ground.”

Fields, though, said he wasn’t crying due to his hardships—the Jets were 0-7 entering Sunday—but because God had guided him.

“I just had gotten a text from my sister and my stepmom, and it was just an encouraging text on—you know—just keep going and keep spreading the faith. And they just sent me a link on social media. And I tell you guys all the time that I'm not on social media, so I didn't see it. So that was just a sign from God for me to keep going and that I'm in the right place.

“Yesterday, I was just praying over and over and over again, like, ‘Just one—one win.’ All that to say is—God is real. God is good, and everything that we go through in this life is for a purpose.”

Leading up to the game, Fields had told reporters he sensed peace amid his trials: “My faith is so rooted in Christ.” 

Fields and Stroud are two of the most outspoken Christians in the NFL and often discuss their faith during interviews. Houston piled up a season-high 475 yards against the 49ers. 

“First, I just want to give all glory and praise to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Without Him, I'm nothing. I'm a broken, wretched, sinful man,” Stroud told Fox during a nationally televised interview. “He saved me time and time again. I just put my confidence in Him—whenever I lack self-confidence, I have God-confidence.

“But today, we just knew what we had to do,” Stroud added. “We knew what we did last week [a loss to Seattle] wasn't good enough. And really, we just have faith. It's easy to have faith when it's easy—but when it's hard and it gets tested, you get punched in the mouth—like that happens in this league all the time. What are you going to do? So we had hard conversations. Coaches were hard on us. We were hard on the coaches. We got things fixed, and we’ve got to keep this rolling.”

Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Al Bello / Staff

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel. 

Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.