the NFL Ditch football for the 2023 Pro Bowl, with this year’s event featuring skills competitions and seven-on-seven-flag football games instead of its traditional format.
Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s event leading up to the Super Bowl:
When is the 2023 NFL Pro Bowl?
The Pro Bowl games will be a multi-day event, with activities taking place on Thursday, February 2, and Sunday, February 5. The final will be held on February 5 in Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium, which hosted Game 2022.
What is the new format?
The NFL announced in September that the Pro Bowl would not be a football game Instead he focused on skills competitions and other events that culminated in the AFC vs NFC football match.
Competitions include three games of flag football, dodgeball, longest drive and best catch. The skills competitions and the first two football matches will be recorded cumulatively before the final football match.
The points earned by each conference will be used as the starting point for the third football game. The winner of that game will be crowned champion of the Pro Bowl Games.
List of skills competitions
Thursday, February 2nd
- Epic Pro Bowl dodgeball: Four teams of five players will compete in a multi-round Dodgeball tournament that culminates in an AFC vs. NFC showdown. The winner of this challenge earns three points for their conference.
- Lightning Tour: Each conference will select 16 players to compete in a three-part Elimination Challenge skills test including ball hitting and water balloon catching.
- Longest driving distance: Four players from each conference will compete to drive the golf ball farthest.
- Pass accuracy: Each quarterback in the conference will compete in a one-minute accuracy contest, where they attempt to rack up points by hitting targets.
Sunday, February 5th
- Best catch: The top vote-getters from each conference will compete in the first round to create the best moments in front of a panel of celebrity judges.
- Gridiron glove: Six players from each conference will compete in a side-by-side relay race through an obstacle course.
- Move the strings: Four teams (two teams of five players from both conferences) will pull a weighted 10-yard wall as quickly as possible using chains from below.
- Tac-toe kick: Each team’s kicker, chaser and long snapper compete in a giant tic-tac-toe competition showing off their skills.
The AFC team will be captained by Peyton Manning, Ray Lewis and Diana Flores, while the NFC team will be coached by Eli Manning, DeMarcus Weir and Vanita Crouch.
Players selected to the 2023 Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl notables include: Bengals QB Joe Burrow, Eagles QB Jalen Hurts, Commanders WR Terry McLaurin, Seahawks QB Geno Smith. Smith is the first player to make his Pro Bowl debut after at least 10 seasons in the league since Rich Gannon in 1999.
Neither Burrow nor Hurts will participate in the Pro Bowl. They were replaced by the Raiders’ Derek Carr and Lions Jared Goff.
Other notable selections include:
travis f Jason Kelsey They each made the Pro Bowl in the same season for the brothers’ fifth time as a pair, but both would miss the game as they prepared to face each other in the Super Bowl.
Including substitute players, the Philadelphia EaglesAnd Dallas Cowboys And Buffalo bills They represent the largest number of players selected with eight players. kansas city chiefs, Baltimore Crows And Minnesota Vikings Each had seven choices. the Chicago Bears They are the only team not to have been selected to a Pro Bowl.
The full original AFC and NFC Pro Bowl rosters can be found here here.
How are Pro Bowl rosters selected?
The rosters are chosen on the basis of three groups of votes: fans, players and coaches. Each class vote represents a third to determine the 88 professional players. The NFL uses fan, player, and coach voting to decide who makes the Pro Bowl.
How do you watch
The Pro Bowl skills show will air live on ESPN on February 2 at 7 p.m. ET. Pro Bowl games will be held from 3 p.m. on ESPN and ABC.
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(Photo: Kirby Lee/USA Today)