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Lamar Jackon, left and C.J. Stroud first thanked their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ while accepting their respective awards at the NFL Honors Thursday night. (AP Photos/David J. Phillip)

NFL MVP and Rookie of the Year Both Thank Their 'Lord and Savior Jesus Christ' on National TV

Steve Warren
02-09-2024

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Two of the NFL's top players first thanked Jesus Christ when receiving their awards at NFL Honors Thursday night in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

The annual awards show was nationally televised by CBS from the Resorts World Theatre. It was also streamed on several platforms. 

After Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson received the "Most Valuable Player" (MVP) award and Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud was named "Offensive Rookie of the Year," both men gave praise to their "Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" while accepting their respective honors. 

"First and foremost, I want to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ," Jackson said as the crowd applauded. "Without Him, nothing is possible."

Jackson, the All-Pro QB received 49 of 50 first-place votes from a nationwide panel of voters that includes media members who regularly cover the NFL, former players, and coaches.

He led the Ravens (14-5) to the NFL's best record in the regular season, but they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game. The 27-year-old Jackson is the fourth player to win his second MVP before turning 28, joining Patrick Mahomes (27), Brett Favre (27) and Jim Brown (22).

"It's an honor. I guess I'm in elite company," Jackson said.

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Meanwhile, Stroud received 48 of 50 first-place votes for OROY with Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua getting the other two. The No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft, Stroud threw for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns, five interceptions and had a passer rating of 100.8, third-best by a rookie. He helped the Texans go from worst to first place in the AFC South and led them to a playoff win in the wild-card round.

"I'm the type of person who wonders what's next and what I can do better, but reflecting on the season, being my first, it's special just to be in the NFL let alone on a winning team," Stroud said.

Established in 2011, the NFL Honors is an annual awards presentation in the National Football League (NFL). From 2012-2021, it was held on the day before the Super Bowl. Since 2022, the ceremony is held on the Thursday before the Super Bowl, in the game's host city.

Both Men Have Put Their Christian Faith on Display in Front of Millions

This is not the first time these two NFL stars have demonstrated their Christian faith in front of millions of football fans. 

Jackson was captured on camera praying with a teammate before the game with the Texans on Jan. 20.

He also praised God following the Ravens win over the Miami Dolphins on Jan. 4, according to movieguide.com. 

"I just thank God for {giving me the health to play}," he said after the game. "I should have started the presser off by thanking God…The last two seasons I wasn't able to fight with my team. I had to do it from the sidelines and just cheer guys on. But I'm grateful for the opportunity."

Jackson, a devout Christian, offered some advice to young people in an exclusive interview on The Wunderkind Show podcast last spring. 

"You've got to keep God first," he said. "Pray to God, and you've got to be consistent with God. It's not like making a wish, like seeing a shooting star and just making a wish. You've got to be consistent when you're praying to God…He's gonna hear our prayers."

The Ravens quarterback told Sports Spectrum in 2019 that his secret to staying humble is praising the Lord. 

"I give Him all His praise, the glory, the honor, because of what I am," he told the outlet. "I could have been doing anything. It's crazy. I'll be thinking about it, talking to Him throughout the day, like, 'Man, I appreciate You, I thank You.' Because if you feel like you're bigger than the Lord, that's when all that success dies. It goes away."

C.J. Stroud Stuns in Rookie Season

Meanwhile, as CBN's Faithwire reported, Stroud recently spoke out after NBC censored the athlete's comments about Jesus during a post-game interview.

Stroud, 22, gave "all glory to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" at the start of the interview following the Texans' victory over the Cleveland Browns.

Conservative activist Charlie Kirk posted a side-by-side of the original video and the clip aired by NBC.

In a separate interview with Complex, Stroud said he's "not angry" about the censorship.

"I wish that it wasn't that but, you know, I pray for people and I think God has called us to love one another through thick and thin, mistakes or success," he said. "I just want to show love. We're not all perfect as people, even myself. I follow the Lord, but I'm not perfect and I try to just be that light in a dark time."

"I think God has called us to really just be a light to one another and just show love," Stroud added. "I just pray for people and I don't have any ill will or any anger to that. I wish that it wasn't that, but, I'm just being myself always. I grew up in the church and I found Christ in myself and I'm just trying to get better and I just want people to feel the love that I felt from God. So, I don't feel any ill will about it, it's all love."

After leading his team to victory and during a post-game interview with CBS' Evan Washburn on Nov. 5 of last year, Stroud was not shy about pointing out that God made a way for the team when they were down and almost out. 

"First and foremost," Stroud began, "I gotta give all glory and praise to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. … When you give your life to the Lord, He gives you opportunities and it's what you do with it."

"It's a blessing," he responded when asked about his rookie-record 470 yards passing. "… I do it for the glory of God."

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About The Author

Steve Warren is a senior multimedia producer for CBN News. Warren has worked in the news departments of television stations and cable networks across the country. In addition, he also worked as a producer-director in television production and on-air promotion. A Civil War historian, he authored the book The Second Battle of Cabin Creek: Brilliant Victory. It was the companion book to the television documentary titled Last Raid at Cabin Creek currently streaming on Amazon Prime. He holds an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma and a B.A. in Communication from the University of
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