LAS VEGAS — The NFL will hold an enhanced Pro Bowl week, dubbed the Pro Bowl Games. Gone is the traditional ball game at Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders, replaced by a series of skills competitions and three flag football games on Thursday and Sunday. Points will be awarded in each event to determine the overall winner between the AFC and the NFC.
Peyton Manning coaches the AFC team and his brother Eli coaches the NFC. The roster selection is decided by a unanimous vote of the fans, players and coaches. One-third of each team’s vote counted to determine the 88 players.
Here’s what to expect.
How to watch?
Next Thursday’s skills competition will air on ESPN and ESPN+ from 7 to 8:30 p.m., while the skills competition and flag games will air on Sunday on ABC, ESPN/ESPN+ from 3 to 4 p.m.
Thursday February 2
Epic Pro Bowl DodgeballThis tournament will be a classic dodgeball multi-purpose tournament with four teams of five players each. It begins with offenses and defenses from the AFC and NFC competing against each other in AFC vs. The NFC Final Round ends. The overall winner receives three points.
Lightning roundThis is a new event for 2023. Each conference selects 16 players from the three-division tournament to hold another three points. The first event is “Splash Catch”, where teammates from each conference are throwing water balloons at each other from an increasing distance. Then the event moves to “High Stakes,” as players challenge themselves to catch putts from the JUGS machine. In the final stage, the remaining players go on a “Trail of Spills” aiming at buckets above the opposing team’s coach. The first team to drop the bucket wins.
The longest drive: Four players from each conference compete for the longest drive on the golf course. Each player gets three swings, with the winner determined by the longest drive within a predetermined range. The winner gets three points.
passing accuracyThe three quarterbacks from each conference compete in a one-minute contest to test their accuracy. The quarterback who hits the most targets gets three points for the conference.
Best catch: Two players from each conference will compete to be creative by performing receptions filmed at famous locations around Las Vegas. Online fan voting will determine their favorites from each conference, with the two finalists competing in the next round on Sunday.
Sunday, February 5
Best catchStarting Thursday, the two finalists will compete in front of a panel of celebrity judges to determine the overall winner.
Gridiron gauntletThe running format pits six players from each conference against each other in a four-part, 40-yard gauntlet. Among the challenges: a tire run and a block slide pushing across the finish line.
Tap-tack-toe: The punters, punters, and longshots will compete in a giant tic-tac-toe competition. The first team to complete a line of three squares wins three points for their conference.
Move the chains: Two teams from each conference compete on a weight wall that tests their strength and speed. Each team of five players must pull a 10 yard weighted wall. A best of three contest is worth three points.
Flag football gamesThe conference winner of the first two pennant games gets six points. Points from the skills competition and the first two pennant games are combined to carry the starting score of the third and final pennant game. The winner at the end of that game will be the conference winner.