For years, the NFL has struggled to discover the proper stability with the Pro Bowl.
2023 gives the modern-day extrade in layout.
With the Pro Bowl coming on the cease of the season, the NFL has lengthy discovered it hard to draw each gamers, and fans, to the occasion. With many gamers opting out for accidents or different reasons, and gamers in the sport itself shying farfar from contact — with proper reason — the sport had had emerge as a totally watered-down model of the product we see in the course of the everyday season, and specifically the playoffs.
In latest years, the NFL included capabilities demanding situations and different aspect occasions, together with dodgeball, to attempt to exhibit the athleticism of the athletes even as now no longer exposing them to in addition injury. But there has been nevertheless the problem of the sport itself.
Now, the league has modified the layout but again. Here is what to anticipate from the 2023 Pro Bowl, and possibly beyond.
The Pro Bowl Games – Thursday occasions
This year, the Pro Bowl has shifted to a Pro Bowl Games layout, with occasions taking region over days, main as much as 7-on-7 flag soccer video games, as opposed to the conventional game, on Sunday.
The first night time of opposition takes region on Thursday night time, with the subsequent occasions:
- Pro Bowl Dodgeball
- Lightning Round
- Longest Drive
- Precision Passing
- Best Catch – First Roun
This is a 3-spherical occasion, including 4 groups with 5 gamers every. In the primary spherical, the AFC Offense will face off with the AFC Defense, to decide the AFC representatives. The 2d spherical will see the NFC Offense take at the NFC Defense to decide the NFC representatives.
In the very last spherical, the AFC representatives will rectangular off with the NFC representatives to decide the winner.
According to NFL.com, 3 factors could be provided to the prevailing convention.
Lightning Round
The subsequent occasion is the lightning spherical, which appears like some thing proper out of Nickelodeon. Each convention will designate sixteen gamers to take part on this 3-spherical, removal task, and the closing participant will steady 3 factors for his or her convention.
In the primary spherical, “Splash Catch,” -participant groups from every convention compete through gambling capture with water balloons from growing distances. Each tandem that completes all their tosses advances to the second one spherical.
The 2d spherical is “High Stakes.” In this level, the gamers who superior will attempt to subject punts from a JUGS machine.
The very last spherical is “Thrill of the Spill.” In this occasion, the closing gamers will attempt to hit goals aimed above the top of a instruct from the opposing convention. The first group to hit the target — and unload a bucket of water on an opposing instruct — wins the occasion, and 3 factors for his or her convention.
Longest Drive
From Topgolf to the Pro Bowl. In this occasion, 4 gamers from every convention shape a group. Each player receives 3 golfing swings, operating off a tee. The participant with the longest drive, that remains in-bounds wins 3 factors for his or her convention. According to NFL.com, this occasion is pre-recorded and could air on Thursday night time.
Precision Passing
In this opposition, the members will have interaction in a one-minute accuracy task, seeking to hit shifting goals with their throws. At the cease of every one-minute period, every passer will then strive a longest-throw task to earn more factors.
Best Catch – First Round
In the Best Catch opposition, gamers from every convention will take part in an occasion designed to exhibit their creativity. In the primary spherical, the gamers will execute their “first-rate catches” at “iconic venues round Las Vegas.”
A fan vote will decide which participant enhance to the very last on Sunday. According to NFL.com, this occasion is pre-recorded and could air on Thursday night time.
The Pro Bowl Games – Sunday occasions
The Pro Bowl Games finish on Sunday with 4 extra capabilities demanding situations, in addition to 3 one of a kind 7-on-7 flag soccer video games. At the cease, the prevailing convention could be determined.
- Best Catch – Finale
- Gridiron Gauntlet
- Move the Chains
- Kick Tac Toe
- 7-on-7 Flag Games
Best Catch – Finale
The closing gamers in Best Catch will compete in the front of a panel of movie star judges to decide a winner. The winner secures 3 factors for his or her convention.
Gridiron Gauntlet
Players from every convention will take part on this relay-fashion occasion aimed to exhibit “strength, pace, and agility.” It is a 4-level occasion, every protecting forty yards in length. Each segment “consists of a sequence of breakaway partitions, a phase of hiking over partitions and beneathneath tables, a tire run and a blocking off sled wearing a Legend instruct throughout the end line.”
The prevailing group secures 3 factors for his or her convention.
Move the Chains
Four groups of 5 gamers — groups from every convention — compete on this occasion, a aspect-through-aspect “weighted wall pull to be able to exhibit their strength, pace and ingenuity.” Players have to tug a heavily-weighted wall ten yards as speedy as possible, the usage of first-down chains.
The group that wins the first-rate-of-3 playoff secures 3 factors for his or her convention.
Kick Tac Toe
Let`s get the experts involved!
In this occasion, every group`s kicker, punter, and lengthy snapper take part in a large-scale tic-tac-toe opposition. The first group to both create a connecting line of 3 squares, or hit 5 squares general, wins. According to NFL.com, this occasion is pre-recorded and could air on Thursday night time.
Flag Football Games
Three flag soccer video games could be performed, all the usage of a 7-on-7 layout. The first could be factored into the scoring, together with the consequences of the numerous capabilities occasions, to set the level for the finale of the weekend, the very last flag soccer game.
The winner of the flag soccer game — incorporating the scoring from the preceding occasions that we are able to define in a minute — could be named the champion of The Pro Bowl Games.
Pro Bowl Games scoring layout, explained
So right here is how the scoring works.
First, the prevailing convention from every of the 8 capabilities occasions — Dodgeball, Lightning Round, Longest Drive, Precision Passing, Best Catch, Gridiron Gauntlet, Move the Chains, and Kick Tac Toe — secures 3 factors for his or her group. A general of 24 factors are to be had over the 8 occasions.
Second, flag soccer video games are performed on Sunday, with the prevailing group incomes six factors for his or her convention. A overall of 12 factors are to be had over those video games.
Finally, the factors accrued from the 8 capabilities events, and the primary flag soccer video games, will function the beginning rating for the very last occasion of the week, the 0.33 flag soccer recreation. The group that finally ends up prevailing the 0.33 and very last flag soccer recreation will win The Pro Bowl Games.
So, for example, say the AFC wins Dodgeball, Lightning Round, Longest Drive, Precision Passing and Best Catch. That could provide them 15 factors, and the NFC 9 factors.
Then, the groups break up the primary flag soccer video games, giving every convention six factors.
That manner the beginning rating for the 0.33 and very last flag recreation could be AFC 21 and NFC 15. From there, the sport is performed, and if the NFC could make up that six-factor deficit, they could win The Pro Bowl Games. If not, the AFC could be topped champions.