Like any other major American sports league, the Pro Bowl Games begin as with any other NFL season. The NFL does its all-star game differently from the rest of the four major American sports leagues, the other three leagues have their game in the middle of the season, while the NFL has it at the end of the season. The Pro Bowl game is held a week before the Super Bowl. This was done to avoid injuries in the middle of the season and to limit the schedule. In September of 2022, the NFL announced that the Pro Bowl game, disliked by fans and players alike, would be replaced with skill competitions the week before the Super Bowl, and at the end of the week, a flag football game would take place between the NFC and AFC pro bowlers. The two teams would be coached again, by brothers, Peyton Manning, the AFC coach, and Eli Manning, the NFC coach.
The games were met with mixed reviews. The controversy started after Cleveland Browns defensive lineman, Miles Garrett, said he dislocated his toe and would not be play in any future Pro Bowl games. Still with this controversy, the NFL continued with the flag football games and the skill competitions.
Just because one player says he is not playing in the Pro Bowl does not mean this affects other players who made the Pro Bowl. Fans, players, and coaches selected players. The San Francisco 49ers led the league with nine players going to Orlando. The Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys were in second with seven players. There were 28 first-time Pro Bowlers this year on top of the other players that made it. Some first-year players were San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy, and Los Angeles Rams WR, Puka Nuca.
These players will play, on top of the flag football game, in skill competitions. Those skill competitions are, dodgeball, tug-of-war, best catch, kick tac toe. Most are returning, like Madden NFL Head-to-Head, which is back for the fourth straight year. The NFC is defending their title against the AFC. Two players from each conference will play each other using the rosters of the pro-bowl teams.
The skill competitions take place on Thursday, Feb 1, and the rest and the flag football game take place on Sun, Feb. 4 at 3 pm on ESPN.
