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The Pro Bowl is an annual event held by the NFL featuring the league’s star players. The Pro bowl was created in 1951. The NFL experimented with an un-conferenced format, where the teams were selected by two honorary team captains (who are in the Hall Of Fame), instead of by conference. From 1970 – Present it has been called AFC (American Football Conference) – NFC (National Football Conference) Pro Bowl. The players are selected by the fans through a voting poll.
The main concern for the game has always been to avoid injuries to their star players. Many critics said the games look like the players were having a “pillow fight”. This led to them switching it to flag football. Despite the criticism, the Pro Bowl is considered to be a significant accomplishment for any player.
For years, the game suffered from lack of interest for its perceived low quality. The game drew lower TV ratings than a regular NFL game. Unlike other North American sports leagues who hold their All-Star games at mid-season, the NFL holds its Pro Bowl at the end of the season. Last year, the skills showdown got 880,000 viewers, their best since 2018.
This year’s Pro Bowl “Skills Showdown” will be on February 1. The “Pro Bowl Games Championship” will be on February 4 in the Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida. The championship will be played in a flag football format to avoid injuries. Although it’s a four-quarter contest, it will be played on a 50-yard field that has 10-yard end zones. Touchdowns are worth the standard six points, then teams can try for one extra point by scoring from the 5-yard line or two by scoring from 10-yard line. The rosters are loaded with talent. Below is a list of the AFC-NFC rosters.
AFC – OFFENSE
QB – Tua Tagovailoa, Lamar Jackson, C.J. Stroud, Patrick Mahomes
RB – Raheem Mostert, James Cook, Derrick Henry
FB – Alec Ingold
WR – Tyreek Hill, Amari Cooper, Keenan Allen, Ja’Marr Chase
TE – Travis Kelce, David Njoku
T – Laremy Tunsil, Dion Dawkins, Terron Armstead
G – Quenton Nelson, Joel Bitonio, Joe Thuney
C – Creed Humphrey, Tyler Linderbaum
AFC – DEFENSE
DE – Myles Garrett, Maxx Crosby, Trey Hendrickson
IL – Chris Jones, Quinnen Williams, Justin Madubuike
OLB – T.J. Watt, Khalil Mack, Josh Allen
MLB – Roquan Smith, Patrick Queen
CB – Patrick Surtain, Sauce Gardner, Jalen Ramsey, Denzel Ward
FS – Justin Simmons, Minkah Fitzpatrick
SS – Kyle Hamilton
NFC – OFFENSE
QB – Brock Purdy, Dak Prescott, Matthew Stafford
RB – CMC, D’Andre Swift, Kyren Williams
FB – C.J. Ham
WR – CeeDee Lamb, A.J. Brown, Mike Evans, Puka Nacua
TE – George Kittle, Sam LaPorta
T – Trent Williams, Lane Johnson, Penei Sewell
G – Zack Martin, Chris Lindstrom, Landon Dickerson
C – Jason Kelce, Frank Ragnow
NFC – DEFENSE
DE – Nick Bosa,Montez Sweat, Aiden Hutchinson
IL – Aaron Donald, Dexter Lawrence, Javon Hargrave
OLB – Micah Parsons, Danielle Hunter, Haason Reddick
MLB – Fred Warner, Bobby Wagner
CB – DaRon Bland, Charvarius Ward, Jaylon Johnson, Devon Witherspoon
FS – Jessie Bates
SS – Budda Baker, Julian Love
