Category: Pro Bowl

Bears DE Montez Sweat, CB Jaylon Johnson named to 2024 Pro Bowl

Montez Sweat and Jaylon Johnson have been integral parts of the Bears’ dominant defense. Now, they’re Pro Bowl bound.

Chicago Bears defensive end Montez Sweat and cornerback Jaylon Johnson have been named to the 2024 Pro Bowl.

Sweat, acquired in a trade with the Washington Commanders, has helped transform this Bears defense from one of the worst to one of the best in the NFL.

Sweat’s career-high 12.5 sacks (through Week 17) ranks third in the NFC. He leads both the Bears (6.0) and Commanders (6.5) in sacks this season, and if things end that way, he would be the first player to accomplish that in NFL history.

“I am honored to be selected to my first Pro Bowl and to represent the great city of Chicago,” Sweat said, via ChicagoBears.com. “What makes this honor special is that the fans played a role in me being selected. I am truly grateful for my teammates, coaches, support staff and my family for all the support this season. I wouldn’t be here without them.”

Johnson, a former second-round pick, has had a career year with the Bears this season. He’s established himself as one of the NFL’s best cover corners, and he also has a career-high four interceptions, which is tied for the team best. He also has recorded 36 tackles and 10 pass breakups.

“It is special that God has blessed me with the opportunity and favor to be selected to my first Pro Bowl,” Johnson said. “I’m thankful for all of those who have played a role in my success because when I win, we all win.”

Sweat and Johnson have been integral parts of Chicago’s dominant defense. Now, they’re Pro Bowl bound.

Josh Allen, Ross Matiscik earn 2024 Pro Bowl Games honors

Two Jaguars earned Pro Bowl honors this year.

The Jacksonville Jaguars had two players on the list of 88 who earned 2024 Pro Bowl honors.

On Wednesday, the NFL revealed the rosters for the Pro Bowl Games, which featured Jaguars outside linebacker Josh Allen and long snapper Ross Matiscik.

Allen is no surprise with the outside linebacker just 0.5 sacks off the league lead. This season he’s broken the Jaguars’ single-season record for sacks with 16.5 through 16 games and has added an interception and two forced fumbles to boot.

Masticik is a little more surprising after he didn’t earn a spot in the top 10 at his position in the fan voting portion of the calculation. Evidently, the Jaguars’ fourth-year player has earned the respect of his peers and NFL coaches, who account for the other two-thirds of the vote.

Last season, no Jaguars earned a spot in the initial Pro Bowl announcement. Injuries and the Super Bowl created space for quarterback Trevor Lawrence and return specialist Jamal Agnew to receive the honors.

Unlike previous years, there will be no actual Pro Bowl game. Instead, players will play various games that include dodgeball, tug of war, and a seven-on-seven flag football game.

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6 Jaguars finish top 10 in fan voting for 2024 Pro Bowl Games

Hours ahead of the rosters for the 2024 Pro Bowl Games being announced, the NFL released the list of players who got the most fan votes.

The rosters for the 2024 Pro Bowl Games will be announced Wednesday night at 8 p.m. ET.

Ahead of the announcement, the NFL released the list of the players who received the most votes from fans and it included six members of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Fan voting accounts for a third of the calculation for Pro Bowl nods with votes from players and coaches accounting for the other two-thirds.

So although the fan vote results don’t necessarily mean a player will earn a spot in the Pro Bowl Games, it’s a great start. With the roster announcements just hours away, here are the six Jaguars player who finished top 10 at their position in fan votes:

9 Vikings finish top 10 in Pro Bowl Games voting

The Minnesota Vikings have nine players that finished top 10 in votes

The Minnesota Vikings might be 7-9 but they have had some quality performances across the board from players on the roster.

That also includes injured players. Quarterback Kirk Cousins, outside linebacker D.J. Wonnum and tight end T.J. Hockenson all had standout years in the time they played for the Vikings this season, including MVP-caliber play from QB1.

While the Pro Bowl Games aren’t exactly what it used to be, it’s a way to recognize each player’s performances during the 2023 season. With rosters set to be announced at 7 p.m. CST on Wednesday night, the NFL released the top 10 vote-getters at each position. The Vikings had nine players finish in the top 10.

TE Trey McBride cracks top 10 in Pro Bowl voting at his position

McBride is the only Cardinals player in the top 10 vote-getters at any position for the Pro Bowl.

Last week, with the first revealing of Pro Bowl fan voting results, not a single Arizona Cardinals player was found in the top 10 of their positions. No Budda Baker, no James Conner.

That changed this week, according to Darren Urban for the Cardinals’ official team site.

Second-year tight end Trey McBride made it into the top-10 fan vote-getters at tight end, coming in at No. 8 this week.

Unsurprisingly, the two tight ends with the most fan votes are the 49ers’ George Kittle and the Chiefs’ Travis Kelce.

McBride is having one of the best receiving seasons for a tight end in franchise history. With 56 receptions for 610 receiving yards, he has tied the franchise single-season record for receptions by a tight end and has the seventh-highest single-season yardage total by a tight end. Only Hall of Famer Jackie Smith has had more receiving yards in a season, and the Cardinals still have four games remaining.

Every reception McBride has will set a new franchisee record this season. With 201 yards over the final four games, he would have the second-most receiving yards.

Pro Bowl fan voting is still going on.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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Bucs players falling behind in Pro Bowl Games fan voting

Only three Bucs players are in the top 10 of their positions in fan voting so far.

There are certainly a few Tampa Bay Buccaneers players who deserve a Pro Bowl nod, but the team isn’t well-represented in early polling.

NFL reporter Tom Pelissero released the initial results for Pro Bowl fan voting on Wednesday, and Tampa Bay’s representatives can only be found sparingly. Of every position group, only three Bucs are in the top 10 — and all of them are in the lower bracket of their respective positions.

Left tackle Tristan Wirfs is the highest-ranked Bucs player in any group, sitting at eighth place among all offensive tackles. Defensive lineman Vita Vea is currently sitting at 10th place among DLs and Bucs wideout and kick returner Deven Thompkins is 10th among return specialists. Bucs WR Mike Evans, who is having one of the best campaigns of his career right now, isn’t in the top 10 at his position, and neither is Bucs safety Antoine Winfield Jr., who is having an All-Pro-caliber campaign in 2023.

It should be noted that Pro Bowl Games fan voting is only a part of the selection process for the Pro Bowl Games. Fan vote counts for a third of the votes, while NFL players also get a third and NFL coaches do, too. That means that it’s still very possible that some Tampa Bay players could make it, but it appears unlikely at the moment that fan voting will be a big part of their nomination.

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7 Vikings make top 10 of Pro Bowl voting

The Vikings have been popular in the Pro Bowl voting through the first week

The Minnesota Vikings currently sit at 6-6 this season heading into week 14 against the Las Vegas Raiders. They have had some standout performances this season and have won multiple Player of the Week awards and a Player of the Month award as well.

Earlier this week, Chris Spooner took a look at seven different Vikings players who deserve a Pro Bowl berth and there are more who could be headed to the games the week before the Super Bowl.

Through a week of voting, the Vikings have seven players in the top 10 of their position.

7 Jaguars most deserving of 2024 Pro Bowl Games votes

Which Jaguars players have your vote?

Voting for the 2024 Pro Bowl Games officially opened Monday and can be done right here.

Last year, despite earning an AFC South title and a playoff win over the Los Angeles Chargers, the Jacksonville Jaguars had zero players make the initial Pro Bowl roster. Eventually, injuries and the Super Bowl opened up enough spots that quarterback Trevor Lawrence and return specialist Jamal Agnew earned the honors.

The 2023 season should probably be different, though.

Unlike last year, the Jaguars won’t need to win five straight games to claw back above .500 and into the playoff picture. Jacksonville is rolling with an 8-3 record and plenty of deserving candidates.

In a conference with quarterbacks like C.J. Stroud, Josh Allen, Tua Tagovailoa, Patrick Mahomes, and Justin Herbert all putting up big numbers, it could take a lot for Lawrence to get another nod. But these seven Jaguars players deserve to get in when the rosters are announced later this season:

LOOK: The NFL’s top cornerbacks entering 2023, per Touchdown Wire

Doug Farrar ranks the top 11 corners in the league and gives another 10 honorable mention.

Cornerback play is critical in the NFL. Teams must pass the ball and stop the pass. That requires pass rushers and guys who can cover.

Who are the best cornerbacks in the NFL? The Arizona Cardinals do not have any of them.

The top 11, plus some who get honorable mention are below, according to Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar. Read his full article for player breakdowns and film work.

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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

 

Geno Smith thrills, but some past Seahawks don’t like new Pro Bowl format

Here’s how past and present Seahawks reacted to the new Pro Bowl Games format.

The NFL finally decided to do away with the traditional “football game” at the Pro Bowl between the AFC and the NFC. This year they added some new skills competitions and turned the main event into a flag football game.

Some players appeared to enjoy it a great deal. Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith, for one – seemed to be having a ball as he dominated the flag football game, throwing five touchdown passes. Meanwhile, a few former Seattle players found the new Pro Bowl Games unbearably lame. Here’s how past and present Seahawks reacted to the new Pro Bowl Games format.