Hey, remember the Pro Bowl? Well, that’s today. I mean, if you can call it that. Today would be the day the game is played, preceded by the skills competition. But with the pandemic, the Pro Bowl as we know it is not happening. There is a Pro Bowl game happening though. I guess.
It’s the EA Madden Pro Bowl 21. It will have current and former NFL stars and celebrities competing in a virtual Pro Bowl against each other.
It will air on NFL Network at 5pm. Though that’s Pacific and Eastern, so if you’re on the West Coast, your viewing will be on delay. You can also see it live on the the Madden NFL Twitch.
If you’d like, you can also see ESPN’s Pro Bowl Celebration broadcast at 4pm Pacific which will feature interviews and highlights showcasing the 2020 Pro Bowl players.
Representing the AFC will be Deshaun Watson, Derrick Henry, Keyshawn Johnson and Snoop Dogg. For the NFC it will be Kyler Murray, Jamal Adams, Marshawn Lynch, and Bubba Wallace.
The hosts will be Charissa Thompson and Michael Strahan.
The gamers’ teams will be stocked with the players who made the Pro Bowl. Which means Watson will get to play as himself and throw to the two best tight end targets in the NFL in Travis Kelce and Darren Waller while and Derrick Henry will get to play himself along with Nick Chubb and Josh Jacobs at running back.
Let’s be honest, the Pro Bowl is never must-see TV. So, surely this virtual version isn’t exactly a step down from that. And who knows, maybe it will be enough of a hit that the NFL will add a virtual Pro Bowl to their normal Pro Bowl festivities. Or even perhaps switch to this entirely. You never know.