Road Warriors

It’s Super Bowl week, and as we prepare for the big game on Sunday, we’ll read or listen to plenty of analysis about how the Seahawks and Patriots made it this far and which team will have an edge in the matchup.

For each of them, a key to their success leading to the Super Bowl has been their ability to win on the road. The Seahawks were 8-1 on the road in 2025 (7-1 in 2024), proving they can play anywhere and still thrive away from home.

Meanwhile, the Patriots were 9-0 on the road this year, the first team to ever do that, and being “Road Warriors” actually became part of their identity and mantra. So much so that the team had a choice of jersey color for the Super Bowl, and they chose white, their road jersey.

You can also hear coach Mike Vrabel yelling “warriors” as a rallying cry, as he did during the celebration after the AFC Championship game.

Wide receiver Mack Hollins has also been re-enacting a scene from the movie The Warriors that Vrabel showed before the team went on a key stretch of the season, during which they won three straight road games.

Their “Road Warrior” mentality also helped them go into Denver and win a tough matchup against the Broncos, which propelled them to the Super Bowl.

Quarterback Drake Maye said, "I think that one last week was kind of the epitome of what this 'Road Warriors' is like.”

He added, ”There's times on the road where we've been on fire, and there's times when you're just trying to do whatever you can to win. I think that's what playoff football is about…”

Wide receiver Stefon Diggs also explained, "Going on the road, into a hostile environment, it's something we just kind of got conditioning to doing. A lot of guys from this team come from different backgrounds, different teams, being cut, signed in free agency. There's no sob story. We're going to band together and find a way to win. I think that's why the 'Road Warrior' mentality translated so well."

Although it's very difficult, teams must be able to enter hostile environments and win on their opponents' field, in front of fans rooting against them.

Going into other stadiums can include fans who are intense, loud, sometimes vulgar, and passionate, yet true “Road Warriors” can overcome the negative chants and attempts to distract them.

The opposing crowds may have tried to be loud enough to make it hard for the teams to hear their coaches or quarterbacks, but the Patriots and Seahawks remained focused, knew what to do, and executed all season long.

Both teams showed they could stand firm and secure a victory, even as the away team in enemy territory. Although they couldn't prevent opposing fans from saying what they were going to say about them, they proved they have what it takes to win on the road.

The Super Bowl may be played at a neutral site, but both teams will still need that “Road Warrior” mentality to pull out another win.

As followers of Jesus, we, too, are looking to get wins on the road because we know this world isn't our ultimate home. Our time on earth is temporary, and we're always up against the opposing crowd.

Hebrews 13:14 (TLB) reminds us, “For this world is not our home; we are looking forward to our everlasting home in heaven.”

The Bible says in 1 Peter 2:11 (NLT), “Dear friends, I warn you as ‘temporary residents and foreigners’ to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.”

That means every day we are looking to win on our opponent’s field, in the midst of a hostile crowd that's rooting against us, trying to distract us, and attempting to make us “lose.” 

1 John 5:19 (AMP) tells us, “We know [for a fact] that we are of God, and the whole world [around us] lies in the power of the evil one [opposing God and His precepts].”

We must embrace that every day is a battle against sin, and thankfully, we don’t fight alone. God is with us and gives us the strength we need to be “Road Warriors,” helping us do whatever it takes to win our battles to love others, offer grace, stand firm in the truth, be a light, and choose to obey Him.

Even though we are away from our true home and the battles are tough, we can still thrive on the road, keeping that “Road Warrior Mentality.”

1 Peter 1:13 (AMP) encourages us with this: “So prepare your minds for action, be completely sober [in spirit—steadfast, self-disciplined, spiritually and morally alert], fix your hope completely on the grace [of God] that is coming to you when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

Ephesians 6:10-11 (ESV) implores us to “...be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”

Thankfully, when we know God’s Word and live surrendered lives, yielding to the power of the Holy Spirit, we can overcome the negative “chants” from the crowd and endure the hostile environments we enter as members of the away team.

The crowd or the world is yelling all around us, trying to drown out the voice of Jesus, but we can stand firm when we keep our eyes fixed on Him, block out the noise, and know that with Christ, we have what it takes to win on the road. 

Ultimately, we’ve already won because Jesus was a “Road Warrior” who came to earth, defeated sin and death, overcame the world, and gave us eternal victory! 

I’m Bryce Johnson, and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I'm so thankful that this world is not my home and I can't wait to spend eternity with You in Heaven. While I'm here, help me to stand firm in the hostile environment surrounding me. I pray that I'd be a light in a dark world as You shine through me and that my eyes remain fixed on Jesus as I endure everything this world throws at me. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen.