The AFC handled the NFC, 26-7, in what was one of the most unentertaining Pro Bowls of recent memory at a rain-soaked Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida on Sunday.
This particular Pro Bowl, in my opinion, was harder to watch than the last several All-Star matchups the NFL has had due to the very evident lack of interest from players, coaches, and referees alike. There is and always will be the fact that coaches in particular do not want to sustain any unnecessary injuries to their star players playing at the Pro Bowl. If there is that much concern over potential injury, then the NFL should create a better All-Star event for fans to watch.
After watching the game in its entirety, the AFC seemed to play with a bit more skill than the NFC. Take that with a grain of salt as I break down what happened for each conference.
AFC
Patrick Mahomes started for the AFC and had the best day of all the AFC quarterbacks. Mahomes finished with one touchdown and 156 yards, completing seven of 14 passes. Wide receiver Keenan Allen of the Los Angelos Chargers led the team in receiving with 95 yards on four receptions. Anthony Sherman, full back for the Kansas City Chiefs, should have won Offensive MVP for his 92-yard day, but the award was given to Mahomes for his performance.
The AFC defensive line played harder than the NFC’s by holding the NFC to just 47 rushing yards and causing three interceptions. It should be noted for the sake of this article that the AFC’s defensive backfield should have finished the day with six to eight interception, but due to the rain, they only successfully caught three of them.
Jacksonville Jaguars’ cornerback Jalen Ramsey scored the last touchdown for the AFC on a three-slant route, capping a near shutout Pro Bowl. Jamal Adams of the New York Jets had the best defensive play in terms of actual football content with a big sack on Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. The NFC attempted a flea flicker that left Trubisky exposed about seven yards in the backfield for Adams to make the play on.
NFC
There’s not much to really like from the NFC other than possibly Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ wide receiver Mike Evans grabbing an interception in the fourth quarter. Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson started for the NFC, finishing the day with five completions off eight attempts for just 68 yards while not creating much of anything on his feet to sustain plays.
The NFC attempted a plethora of deep passes that had no chance of ever being caught. There were some trick plays and a lot of lazy effort to cover AFC receivers. This is really what made this Pro Bowl so difficult to watch until the end. Tack on only scoring once in the entire game and a ridiculous challenge on a nonreviewable play by Dallas Cowboys’ head coach Jason Garrett, and you have your summary of the NFC’s Pro Bowl game.
Dallas Cowboys’ starting running back Ezekiel Elliot successfully attempted a fake punt in the third quarter with a fifteen-yard run. Elliot also saw some defensive snaps along with New York Giants’ Saquon Barkley with one play causing Houston Texans’ quarterback DeShaun Watson into a third and long situation.
