Super Bowl LIX: 6 Christians starring in Sunday's big game

2. Saquon Barkley

In an X post on Jan. 27, the day after the Eagles won the NFC Championship, star running back Saquon Barkley, who rushed for over 2,000 yards this season, wrote, "God is great !! 1 more to go … see ya in New Orleans."

When delivering remarks to reporters ahead of the Super Bowl this week, Barkley suggested that there was a direct correlation between his growth as a Christian and his athletic success.

"I don't think it's ironic the year that I try to really hone in and grow in my faith, I happen to have, you know, my best season. I don't think that's ironic at all."

Barkley said the Bible is something he is challenging himself to "get better at," considering himself "really lucky" that his agent is a pastor and "able to have Bible studies with him."

"I think that's what religion and faith is — is having a relationship with God and understanding who Jesus is and that's what I've been trying to do this year," he detailed. "I'm going to continue to try and get better at it."

"I know that I wouldn't be here without the Man above," he concluded. 

In 2019, after winning the Breakthrough Athlete of the Year Award at the 2019 ESPY Awards while he was a member of the New York Giants, Barkley recognized God in his acceptance speech.

"First and foremost, I want to say thank you to God for blessing me with the opportunity to wake up every single day and play the sport I love and have impact on others."