If the first entails the second, that doesn't mean the second entails the first

This is true. However, the fact that he mentioned this when religion was irrelevant to the story seems to imply he feels that religious thinking leads to superstitious thinking.

It's pretty clear in the article that he was trying to convince himself despite his doubts. If he didn't get the low score in his game, he would have found something else to convince him it was right.

I'm not sure what this has to do with my response...