Updated

From pulpits to playing fields, two New York City police officers killed in the line of duty were remembered on the Sunday before Christmas.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan called the murders of officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu "brutal and irrational" and mentioned them throughout his homily on Sunday during Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral. The audience included New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton.

The officers were killed Saturday afternoon by a gunman who then killed himself. The gunman has posted online that he was specifically targeting police.

Dolan asked Bratton and NYPD Chief of Department James O'Neill to tell their officers that those gathered at St. Patrick's "love them very much, we mourn with them, we need them, we respect them, we're proud of them and we thank them." The cardinal also called for calm in the wake of the killings, which come at a at a tense time when police nationwide are being criticized for their tactics following the death of Eric Garner in a possible chokehold by an officer and Michael Brown's fatal shooting in Ferguson, Missouri.

Across the Hudson River, at Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., several members of the New York Jets condemned the officers' murders. Center Nick Mangold wore a black NYPD cap while walking into MetLife Stadium off the team bus, and held it to his heart during the singing of the national anthem. The team also observed a 10-second moment of silence before the game.

"Some innocent blood was spilled," said defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson, who has been critical of law enforcement in the past, after New York's 17-16 loss to the New England Patriots. "I'm not with that at all. That's the message that I'm trying to get across. It's sad, real sad that two officers lost their lives and can't go home to their families. It's just tough, man."

Richardson, from the St. Louis area, had recently been critical of the grand jury in Ferguson, Missouri, which didn't indict officer Darren Wilson in the killing of Michael Brown on Aug. 9. He wrote on Twitter after the jury's decision that "they let this pig get off."

"I don't know the guy, I don't know the perp," Richardson said. "I just heard that two officers lost their lives sitting in their car. I'm with the peaceful protests and stuff like that, defending your rights. ... That's not the way to go, murdering innocent cops."

Tight end Jeff Cumberland took to Twitter on Saturday after hearing about the shootings to offer his condolences.

"'Revenge' does nothing except cause more tension," he wrote. "Thoughts and prayers up for the families of the NYPD officers from today's shooting."

In St. Louis, Giants coach Tom Coughlin wore a black strip on the left shoulder and a peace sign under the "NY" logo on his pullover for the team's game against the Rams. A Giants spokesman said Coughlin made the personal decision to pay tribute to the fallen officers.

"Let's hope that the voice of reason can prevail," Coughlin said. "Violence never solves anything.

"I realize there are issues, but solve them with non-violent means."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.