The NFL season is nearing its close. The regular season ends next week, the playoffs begin shortly after, and the Super Bowl is in February. Then, the wait for NFL football begins, but that doesn't mean you won't get some football.

When Jake Bates made a game-winning kick against the Texans in his hometown of Houston on NBC's "Sunday Night Football," the Detroit Lions rookie said his purpose was to spread the

Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates and players across the NFL are expressing their religious views during interviews (AP video: Mike Householder)

Bates used his platform as an NFL player to spread his love of Jesus in a prime-time interview on NBC after lifting the Lions to a win over the Texans with a 52-yard field goal as time expired. A month later,

Jake Bates stood on the turf in his hometown of Houston when asked to reflect on an unlikely journey from learning how to sell bricks to making game-winning kicks for the Detroit Lions.