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‘All glory to God’: Chiefs’ Butker makes game-winning kick in the Super Bowl while wearing scapular

February 13, 2023 Catholic News Agency 1
Kansas City Chiefs’ kicker Harrison Butker (left) and Kansas City Chiefs’ punter Tommy Townsend watch the ball during Super Bowl LVII between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Feb. 12, 2023. / Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images

Washington D.C., Feb 13, 2023 / 11:07 am (CNA).

The game-winning kick in Super Bowl LVII was made by a Catholic, who later gave credit to his teammates and glory to God.

With the score even at 35-35 and seconds remaining in the game, Harrison Butker kicked a field goal to give the Kansas City Chiefs a victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, 38-35. 

The 27-year-old kicker is outspoken about his Catholic faith, and many on social media were quick to point out that during the game he was wearing what appeared to be a brown scapular around his neck.

The scapular, which is made up of two pieces of brown wool and is worn hanging across one’s chest and back, is a sacramental from the Carmelite tradition that anyone can wear as a sign of their consecration to Mary.

As the ball went through the uprights, his teammates embraced him in a joyous celebration. Butker had just helped give the Chiefs their second Super Bowl victory since 2020.

“The offensive line did a great job blocking. Great snap, great hold — and thankfully, that ball went through. All glory to God,” Butker said on Feb. 12, according to Arrowhead Pride. 

In an interview with CNA in 2022, Butker opened up about his love for the Traditional Latin Mass, saying: “I think it really entices a lot of young people who are looking for answers. They’re looking for happiness. And for me, I found happiness in embracing the faith offered in the Catholic Church.” 

“I felt like I wasn’t able to embrace it until I saw it completely exposed in the light. I knew that I had discovered authentic Catholicism. And I found that at the Traditional Latin Mass, in the traditional sacraments, and I think a lot of young people have found that as well,” Butker said.  

Butker’s game-deciding field goal looked effortless, despite his having missed a field goal earlier in the game.

In the first quarter, Butker’s 42-yard field goal attempt ricocheted off of the left goal post, resulting in a missed opportunity to give the Chiefs an early lead.

Speaking about the missed kick after the game, Butker said he just focused on the next opportunity to score a field goal.

“You got to get that out of your mind and just focus on the process and the next opportunity that you get.”

“But I felt like as the game went on, I was hitting a better ball, a better rotation, and yeah, glad that last kick went through,” he said.

Butker became the deciding factor on Super Bowl Sunday, but that’s not the only game he helped clinch for the Chiefs. Just two weeks earlier at the AFC Championship game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Butker hit the game-winning field goal with three seconds left to send the Chiefs to the Super Bowl.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who led his team to victory, also talked about the importance of his Christian faith at a news conference ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl.

“I know that I’m blessed to be in this position … and so to have a faith backing, I know why I’m here — and it’s not about winning football games. It is about glorifying him,” Mahomes said.

“I have no pressure when I step on that football field, because I know why I’m here.”

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‘God is just so good,’ Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp says after his clutch performance

February 15, 2022 Catholic News Agency 0
Los Angeles Rams’ Cooper Kupp (L) breaks away from Cincinnati Bengals’ Jessie Bates III during Super Bowl LVI between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on February 13, 2022. / Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images.

Boston, Mass., Feb 15, 2022 / 15:05 pm (CNA).

The NFL’s Lombardi Trophy has found a home in the City of Angels after a stunning performance Sunday night by the Los Angeles Rams. Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp was in disbelief at his reward as he gave glory to God for his clutch performance.

“I don’t feel deserving of this. God is just so good,” the standout receiver said in a postgame interview. “I’m just so thankful for the guys I get to be around, for the coaches, for my family.”

In another postgame interview Kupp talked to the media about his memory of losing to the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl three years ago. Kupp, who was on the sidelines during Super Bowl LIII due to an ACL injury, said that God revealed to him in a vision that the Rams would be back in the Super Bowl and they would win it, too.

Part of the vision, he said, was that “somehow” he was going to walk off the field as the MVP of the game. Kupp, 28, who has two young sons (Cooper Jr., 3, and Cypress, 1), said that he had only shared this information with his wife Anna.

From the beginning of the 2021-2022 season he said that he believed every game was “written already.”

Kupp, who is Christian, said that he felt “free” knowing that he got to play “from victory not for victory.” He was able to play feeling validated because of God’s love for him, rather than become of his performance on the field.

Kupp scored two touchdowns on Sunday night, including a one-yard grab towards the end of the game which secured the win for the Rams. He totaled eight catches for 92 yards on the night. The final score of the game was 23-20, giving the Rams their second Super Bowl title ever. You can watch Kupps’ Super Bowl highlights in this video.

In an interview with Sports Spectrum prior to the Super Bowl, Kupp said that God taught him this season that he would be most fulfilled by staying rooted in God’s purpose for his life.

Kupp said that his motivation coming into a game day is to “run the race in such a way as to honor God” with the passions and talents that he has been given. 

When he is rooted in playing for God, Kupp said, he feels he is at a great place where can “play freely,” be a better teammate, player, husband, and father. 

Kupp said that even if the Rams had not won a game all year, this would still be his favorite season because he spent the time playing for God.

“I’ve been enjoying every second of being a teammate to the guys that are here and just being able to honor God every time I step into this facility,” he said.

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