As someone who (probably) will suspend my myriad objections and watch Sunday’s Super Bowl, I now have a rooting interest.

In fact, something like a 45-42 final score, with both quarterbacks accounting for six touchdowns, would do just fine.

That sentiment springs not from gambling-related interests but from genuine respect for Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who described Jesus Christ as the “center” of his life, and for Kansas City Chiefs signal-caller Patrick Mahomes, who professed Jesus as his “Lord and Savior.”

Both comments came during Monday’s Super Bowl Week press conferences. The Chiefs and Eagles will square off in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday in New Orleans, Louisiana.

“I think my faith has always been a part of me,” Hurts said in a clip posted to the social media platform X. “I always wanted to root myself in that and keep Him in the center of my life, in everything that I do.”

Hurts made those comments in response to a question about Jesus from Matt Forte of Sports Spectrum. A former star running back with the Chicago Bears, Forte regularly posts Christian-themed interviews on X.

 

Meanwhile, another Sports Spectrum reporter caught up with Mahomes and posed a similar question.

“Who is Jesus to you?” the reporter asked.

“He’s my Lord and Savior,” Mahomes replied. “It’s someone that I look up to every single day to decide what I want to do with my life and how I want to live my life. And so, Jesus is everything to me, at the end of the day.”

From a distance, Super Bowl LIX has all the hallmarks of a game many fans would prefer not to watch.

For one thing, we saw this matchup two years ago in Super Bowl LVII, a 38-35 Kansas City victory.

Moreover, many fans have grown exhausted by almost everything related to the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs.

Tight end Travis Kelce’s romantic relationship with pop superstar Taylor Swift, for instance, has commanded a nauseating amount of attention. The NFL and its broadcasting partners, in fact, have exploited that relationship for ratings purposes.

In related news, many fans have also grown weary of what they regard as on-field officials’ bias toward the Chiefs. That alleged bias has manifested during the current playoffs, when every controversial call has appeared to go in Kansas City’s favor.

Finally, as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made clear on Monday, the league will maintain its odious DEI policies.

In other words, the NFL has given us plenty of reasons not to watch the Super Bowl.

On the other hand, one cannot ignore the power of two superstar quarterbacks confidently and publicly professing faith in Jesus.

Thus, for those of us who (might) choose to overlook all those objections and watch anyway, Hurts and Mahomes have provided something well worth cheering.