Detroit kicker makes game-winning field goal, hopes people see Jesus through his story

Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates, one of the NFL’s most improbable stories, is using the stage set for him to proclaim Christ.

Bates delivered two of the biggest kicks of his career during Sunday Night Football with more than 17 million eyes watching him. His 52-yard bomb as time expired sneaked just inside the left upright to give the NFC-best Lions a massive win over the Houston Texans.

The kick capped off an improbable comeback as the Lions overcame five interceptions from quarterback Jared Goff, overcoming a 16-point deficit to win the game 26-23. Bates hit another kick just minutes before, a 58-yarder that made it just inches inside the right upright to tie the game. 

Though the Lions have been red hot, without Bates’ late-game heroics all signs were pointing to their six-game winning streak coming to an end. Sports Illustrated called Bates the Lions’ “savior” after the game, but Bates used his postgame interview with Melissa Stark to point people to his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

“I think it just shows how good the Lord is,” Bates told Stark of NBC Sports after she asked how good it felt to make those crucial kicks in his hometown area. 

“He’s so faithful. My story is, if anything, I hope people can see Jesus through my story. That’s what I think I’m here to do is – not make or miss or be a good kicker or bad kicker but spread the love of Jesus. I hope I’m able to do that on the stage I’m given.” 

Bates has yet to miss a kick this year, hitting on all 14 of his field-goal attempts. Three of those have been from 50 or more yards. 

Bates’ start to the 2024 season is impressive, considering he wasn’t even supposed to be here. The Lions put their trust in the unproven kicker when starting kicker Michael Badgley tore his hamstring and was ruled out for the rest of the season. 

The rookie has made the most of the opportunity, and as quarterback Jared Goff said, “He is kicking it as well as anyone in the league right now. 

“We have a lot of confidence in him. It’s really cool for a guy that’s that young with that amount of experience to walk out there cold-blooded twice now on the road and knock them both down. Pretty good.” 

About a year ago, Bates was selling bricks for the Acme Brick Company and considered giving up his NFL dream. Being a simple kick-off specialist in college as a walk-on at Texas State, he never attempted a field goal during his collegiate career. 

Yet Bates always showed how powerful his leg could be, leading to him signing with the UFL’s Michigan Panthers. Bates hit a 64-yard field goal as a member of the Panthers, catching the eyes of his future NFL team, the Lions. 

Following his game-winning kick last month against the Minnesota Vikings, Bates said: 
 
“I thought the dream was dead. I thought football was done, so I had to move on and do something else with my life. Luckily, the Lord had something else in store.” 

It’s clear the Lord has something else in store, as Bates is playing the best football of his life for the NFC’s best team. And he used the biggest moment of his fledgling career to let everyone know where the credit belongs.