LA Chargers kicker Dustin Hopkins had a lot to be thankful for after his team’s 19-16 victory in overtime against the Denver Broncos. Hopkins ended up scoring 13 of the team’s 19 points, including the game-winning 35-yard field goal in overtime. Hopkins was able to power through the game despite an early injury. He stated after the game that he heard a “pop” after a second quarter extra point. “It was weird,” he said afterwards. “I felt good pre-game and everything. But that first extra point, I felt a pop, and it kinda went downhill from there.” He spoke with the Los Angeles Times saying, “Before every kick, you knew it was going to feel like someone was stabbing you with a knife. It was like, ‘All right. Let’s do this.’ I was praying too. I was, ‘Lord, just be with me.’ The other part was, ‘Pain’s temporary.’ I was just committed to swinging and dealing with pain after.”

He spoke with ESPN after the game and thanked God for the win. “I just want to say thank you to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I got so much to be thankful for, apart from football, and so when something like this happens … I’m blessed either way but to be on the good side of that, feels a lot better,” he said. In addressing the media in the locker room he said, “Make or miss, it’s for my good, whether that’s character or for the team or any of that. So, I just don’t put too much stock in the situation and try to remember who I am and Whose I am.”  Hopkins has talked often about his faith, such as when he discussed the importance of prayer and trusting God in a podcast episode of Sports Spectrum. He also posts often about God on social media, with his Instagram profile referencing Ephesians 2:4-10, which includes the well-known words of verses 8 and 9, which say, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

After the game, Hopkins posted on his Instagram saying, “As a follower of Jesus, in both highs and lows, God is faithful regardless of circumstances because he has already reconciled us to himself through Christ Jesus. Thankful for this team, but especially for those blocking, snapping, and holding. I’ll remember this one for as long as I live! Hope to be back on the field soon!” He also referenced Colossians 1:15-20, which says in verse 17, “And [Christ Jesus] is before all things, and by him all things consist.” Unfortunately for Hopkins, he did indeed suffer a hamstring strain during the game, with the Chargers head coach Brandon Staley revealing that he would miss the next 2 to 4 weeks due to his injury. However, if he sticks to his reliance on God, it seems he will make it through this setback as well.