Eighteen months ago, Jake Bates was a brick salesman. Today, he's the talk of the NFL thanks to a pair of game-winning kicks that have propelled Detroit to the top of its division. Bates booted a 52-yard field goal as time expired Sunday to give the Lions a 26-23 comeback victory over Houston. Three weeks earlier, he kicked a 44-yarder with 15 seconds left to help Detroit edge Minnesota, 31-29. Both kicks came in hostile road games, with hometown fans screaming at the top of their lungs, hoping he would miss. Bates, though, didn't flinch.
He's made other big kicks, too, including a monstrous 58-yarder with five minutes left at Houston to tie the game.
The Lions have a division-leading 8-1 record.
JAKE BATES WALKOFF. 😱
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) November 11, 2024
LIONS COME BACK AND WIN IT! #OnePride pic.twitter.com/bzrqbTR4tc
In both games, Bates shared his Christian faith with a national audience, telling his story of brick salesman-to-NFL kicker.
"It just shows how good the Lord is," Bates said on NBC. "He's so faithful. My story is, if anything, I just hope people can see Jesus through my story. That's what I think I'm here to do- not make or miss or be a good kicker or a bad kicker, but spread the love of Jesus. So hopefully, I'm able to do that on the stage I'm given."
Bates played college football at Texas State and Arkansas but went undrafted in 2023 and failed to make an NFL roster. He signed a contract with the Lions this summer.
A year and a half ago, he was working for Acme Brick in Houston.
"I mean, 18 months ago, I thought I was done with football," he told news media after his game-winner against Minnesota. "I was working as a brick salesman in Houston. I thought the dream was dead. It also makes me look back and think of how good the Lord's been in my life and the doors He's opened and closed for me to lead me here -- and to lead me in such a great situation with this coaching staff and this front office and these teammates."
He cited Scripture prior to his game-winner against Minnesota.
"It was definitely loud, definitely the loudest environment I've ever kicked in," he said of Minnesota. "... I told myself to stay calm [and was] reciting my favorite Bible verse, which is Hebrews 12:1, which helps me stay calm as well.
Hebrews 12:1 reads: "Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."
He also thanked snapper Hogan Hatten and holder Jack Fox- two crucial elements for any game-winner.
"They're both unbelievable at what they do."
After kicking the game-winning field goal, Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates publicly gives all of the glory to Jesus on live TV!
— Heidi St. John (@heidistjohn) November 11, 2024
Bold, courageous and unashamed. This is a great example for the rest of us Christians in America. 🙏🏻❤️ pic.twitter.com/g5b5bxOMTV
Photo Credit: ©Instagram/detroitlionsnfl
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.