The New York Jets and quarterback Justin Fields have endured a brutal start to the 2025 NFL season.
Thus, speaking to reporters following Sunday’s dramatic 39-38 win over the Cincinnati Bengals — New York’s first victory of the year after seven consecutive losses — Fields looked and sounded like a man who, amid genuine despair, had surrendered himself to God and now basked in the joy that accompanied His blessings.
“I’m gonna get pretty vulnerable right here,” the quarterback said in a clip posted to the social media platform X.
Indeed he did, for this was no ordinary win and no ordinary week preceding it.
Last Sunday, the Jets suffered their seventh straight loss, an ugly 13-6 defeat at the hands of the Carolina Panthers.
After the game, a young Jets fan went viral for his comments to a reporter in the parking lot.
“I hate this team,” the young man said. “I was born into this, and I’m not gonna ever — I’m always a Jets fan. But, like, I just, I hate this team.”
Pray for these young Jets fans
They didn’t choose this life pic.twitter.com/NBG9TRnWRX
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) October 21, 2025
Do we need more star athletes and Hollywood celebrities to talk openly about their faith in God?
Then, on Tuesday, Jets owner Woody Johnson threw gasoline on the fire by blaming Fields for the team’s poor record.
“It’s hard when you have a quarterback with a rating that he’s got. I mean, he has ability, but something just is not jiving,” Johnson said, per ESPN.
As of mid-week, it appeared that Fields would lose his job to backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor.
Sunday’s win over Cincinnati, therefore, came at a professional low point for Fields.
“It’s been a lot of, you know, it’s been a lot for me — emotionally, spiritually,” a subdued-sounding Fields told reporters after the game. “When I was out on the field I was damn near about to start crying, but not because we won but just because of the goodness of God, and just how everything works for the greater good.”
The quarterback sounded as if he had carried the weight of the season’s early failures and criticisms.
“Everything that I’ve been through this past week, everything that we’ve been through as a team these past seven weeks — there was a lot of ups and downs,” he added. “I got a lot of support from my teammates, from my brothers, from my family, from my friends.”
Then, Fields expressed gratitude to Jesus.
“And, most of all, I’m just, I’m just thankful, thankful for the Lord’s, that He — He blessed me,” Fields continued. “I mean, shoot, yesterday I’m praying, start praying like crazy, just for a win, just for a win.”
At that point, the quarterback revealed the depth of his despair during the past week.
“I’m gonna get pretty vulnerable right here,” Fields said. “But this week I kinda, you know, I found myself in my closet crying, on the ground, laying down, not because of the hardships, not because of the troubles. I felt like, you know, I was built to handle that, and I was put in place to handle this situation.”
Something else prompted the tears.
“But in that moment when I was talking to my best friend, you know, how hard it was, and just, not wavering, faith-wise, I just had gotten a text from my sister and my stepmom, and it was just an encouraging text, just keep going, and keep spreading the faith,” he added.
Fields took it as a sign.
“And they just sent me a link on social media,” he continued. “And I tell you guys all the time that I’m not on social media. So I didn’t see it. So that was just — it was just a sign from God for me, to keep going, and that I’m in the right place.”
Then, the quarterback told reporters that on Saturday — the day before the game — he constantly talked to God.
“Yesterday I was just praying over and over and over again like, you know, like, just one — one win,” he said. “But all that to say is that, you know, God is real. God is good. And everything that we go through in this life is for a purpose.”
NEW: Jets quarterback Justin Fields praises God after his win over the Bengals, opens up about his emotional week ahead of the game.
Fields was benched last week and was even called out by owner Woody Johnson before getting the start this week.
“I’m gonna get pretty vulnerable… pic.twitter.com/CaPbbOLwui
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 26, 2025
In his fifth NFL season, Fields has struggled to an overall record of 15-36.
A closer look, however, reveals that the former first-round pick, still only 26 years old, has deserved a better fate.
For instance, in 2022 — his second year in the league — when Fields’ talent-deprived Chicago Bears stumbled to a 3-12 record in games he started, the dynamic young quarterback nonetheless finished ninth overall in the Associated Press’ NFL MVP voting.
Then, to open the 2024 season, Fields led the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 4-2 record before retreating to the bench. He never started another game.
In short, one might excuse the quarterback if he complained that multiple teams had wasted much of his young career.
Instead, he prayed. And when the blessings came, as they did on Sunday, he gave glory to God.
Based on his comments to reporters after the game, Fields’ tenure in New York will qualify as a success regardless of whether or not the Jets win another game.
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