Minnesota Vikings safety Cam Bynum played the game of his NFL career on Monday night. Afterward, he knew exactly whom to thank.
Bynum intercepted two fourth-quarter passes to seal the Vikings’ 22-17 upset win over the San Francisco 49ers.
“First of all, all glory to Jesus, my Lord and Savior,” he told reporters after the game.
Draped in the flag of the Philippines — his mother’s homeland — Bynum adopted a tone of Christian humility.
“I’m just grateful to be out here and doing things I see that’s bigger than me. It’s all for God and all for my people back home,” a smiling Bynum said.
He then referred to helping typhoon victims and people in poverty before reiterating his humble perspective.
“So this is bigger than me, and that’s really why I’m out there,” he added.
Bynum’s words might remind Christians of a relevant New Testament passage: “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)
ESPN reporter Kevin Seifert posted a short clip of Bynum’s interview on X.
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.@Cambeezy_, draped in the flag of the Philippines, had a few things to say last night before getting to a game in which he forced turnovers on 3 of the 49ers’ 8 (non-kneeldown) possessions. “This is bigger than me.” pic.twitter.com/DmU7bOPGNu
— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) October 24, 2023
As for the game itself, non-fans or even casual NFL fans might not appreciate the magnitude of the Vikings’ upset.
San Francisco entered the night at 5-1 and having dropped its most recent game, a 19-17 loss to the Cleveland Browns. In that game, however, star running back Christian McCaffrey left early with an injury. McCaffrey returned on Monday.
Furthermore, in their first five games, the 49ers outscored opponents by a combined 167-68. They looked like a juggernaut.
Meanwhile, the Vikings entered Monday at 2-4, including two unimpressive road wins over the 0-6 Carolina Panthers and 2-5 Chicago Bears. Minnesota also lost its best player, wide receiver Justin Jefferson, to injury.
Bynum’s late-game heroics, therefore, sealed an improbable victory.
During the post-game interview, a reporter tried to get Bynum to talk about his nine combined tackles and other statistical contributions. Bynum, of course, chose the humble route.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, however, did not withhold praise for his star safety.
“To me, all year long, his tackling has really jumped out,” O’Connell said according to vikings.com. “He’s been consistently right around, if not near the top five in tackling in the NFL. He’s in a different kind of position than he was, quite honestly, a year ago,” the coach added.
Fans and others who might have soured on the woke NFL should keep Bynum’s pious humility in mind. For every knee-bending, “social-justice” fraud like Colin Kaepernick one also finds a Cam Bynum.
This year alone, for instance, a number of NFL stars have spoken openly about their Christian faith. These include New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis, Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Shaquil Barrett and Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
As a gargantuan corporate entity devoted to “social justice,” the NFL has cast its lot with the wicked.
That does not mean, however, that individual players such as Bynum have not proclaimed the truth of Christ’s glory.
