If ever a player for the losing team deserved the Super Bowl’s Most Valuable Player Award, it was Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. Hurts was terrific, but so was Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and the Eagles came up short.  

Still, Hurts’ best performance may have been in an interview Thursday before the Super Bowl. When asked, “What are you going to ask God for on Sunday?” Hurts replied: 

I usually keep my prayers to myself, but I say, God knows… I really lean on Him, and I try to keep Him in the center of everything that I do because I know without God, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I wouldn’t be the man I am today without having that faith in Him, without having integrity and leadership and diligence and all of those things. But I think the biggest thing is you get so influenced by so much around you, you just want to pray that you’re the person that God calls you to be, so that’s what I’m going to do: Be who God called me to be.* 

*Edited for length and repetition.