Hufanga: award, record and 'all glory to God'
The Denver safety racked up a sack, two interceptions and a touchdown in a single quarter, something the NFL hadn't seen since 1982.
A 66-yard pick-six gave the Denver Broncos their first lead against the Los Angeles Rams. Hufanga didn't take the credit: "All glory to God" (Sígueme translation), he said, according to Sports Spectrum.
On Sunday, September 27, Denver trailed 16-0 at halftime and ended up winning 30-26. Near the end, a sack on Matthew Stafford forced the Rams to settle for a field goal.
In total, Hufanga tallied five tackles, three passes defended, one sack, two interceptions and the touchdown. Sean Payton, his coach, said that return was the play of the game and that Hufanga has been a consistent player and a leader for the team.
«Faith doesn't promise him victories or contracts. It gives him someone to give the credit to.»
An award shared
Days later came the recognition: AFC Defensive Player of the Week, the first of his career. Hufanga received it without taking all the credit. He said it's a personal award, but also a team one, because it's his teammates who put him in the right spot.
His performance also left a mark almost no one saw. Since 1982, when sacks began being counted as an official stat, no player had recorded in the same quarter a sack and multiple interceptions, with a return of 50 yards or more for a score. He did it in the fourth quarter against the Rams.
From injuries to patience
The road here wasn't straight. The 49ers picked him in the fifth round of the 2021 draft, after a career at USC that included the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year award and All-American honors in 2020. By 2022 he was a starter and played in the Pro Bowl.
Then came two seasons cut short by injuries. In March 2025 he signed with Denver for three years and $45 million. Last year he was second-team All-Pro, and today he's one of the voices of a defense looking to get the Broncos back to the playoffs.
On Sunday he said he missed two possible interceptions early and had to encourage himself: not to be the one who lets plays slip by, but to wait patiently and let the game come to him. It sounds like more than football; it sounds like someone who learned to wait after two years off the field.
Glory doesn't depend on the scoreboard
His faith didn't just show up that night. When the 2023 season ended early, he wrote on Instagram that the growth season God had for him was just beginning, and he quoted Psalm 139:23-24. The psalm says: "Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!" (Psalm 139:23, ESV).
That prayer doesn't ask for a better scoreboard. It asks for a heart examined, and that's uncomfortable when the world measures your worth in numbers. Sports rewards the result; faith asks about the motive.
On Sunday, Hufanga didn't talk about awards for believing. He thanked God for being able to play the sport he loves and come off the field healthy. Faith doesn't promise him victories or contracts. It gives him someone to give the credit to and someone to carry the pressure with.
This Sunday he returns to Santa Clara, home of the 49ers, the team that drafted him in 2021, with kickoff at 4:25 p.m. (Eastern time). Before you tell your next achievement, try naming first who helped you get it. And ask yourself this week's question: when something goes well for you, who do you give the credit to?
