Tag: 2025 Pro Bowl

WATCH: Cowboys return ace KaVontae Turpin dominates Pro Bowl… on defense?!?

From @ToddBrock24f7: The only player to notch both a punt return TD and a kick return TD this year also tallied two sacks while playing defense in the Pro Bowl.

Speed kills in the NFL. Even more so in flag football.

So it’s perhaps no surprise that Cowboys return specialist KaVontae Turpin, easily one of the fastest men in the league, stood out even among the sport’s all-stars in the flag football finale of the 2025 Pro Bowl Games in Orlando.

But Turpin being the NFC’s most impactful defensive player? That wasn’t on anyone’s bingo card.

The third-year pro had an outstanding season, despite the Cowboys’ thoroughly underwhelming 7-10 record. Of all kick returners leaguewide who had more than 12 chances, Turpin’s 33.6-yard average was tops, and his 10.9-yard punt return average was seventh-highest among those with double-digit tries. Most notably, he was the only player in the NFL to return both a punt and a kickoff for a touchdown in 2024, with his 99-yard spin-move house call versus Washington serving as one of the most electrifying moments of the entire 272-game schedule.

Special teams is what put him into his second Pro Bowl, one of five Cowboys honored with a berth this year. But Cowboys fans saw Turpin take a leap in his pass-catching prowess, too. After being used only sparingly in the passing attack over his first two seasons, the 28-year-old was Dallas’s fourth-most-targeted wide receiver, earning his first two starts at WR and finishing the 2024 campaign with 31 catches for 420 yards (all far and away career-highs) while playing on nearly 27% of the offense’s snaps.

But it was Turpin’s pass-rush skills that caught everyone’s attention on Sunday. Sent on with the defense by NFC coach Eli Manning, Turpin used his otherworldly quickness to catch Joe Burrow well behind the line of scrimmage for one sack on a two-point conversion attempt…

…And then pinned Russell Wilson for a nine-yard loss later in the game.

All told, Turpin ended the exhibition with five tackles, including a touchdown-saving stop when he chased down Brian Thomas Jr. from behind and pulled his flag at the 1-yard-line.

It was a dominant effort playing a completely foreign position, enough so that Turpin himself thought he’d be coming home with some hardware.

“I feel like on defense on the blitz I got the quarterbacks rattled and had them throwing fast balls,” Turpin said per the Orlando Sentinel. “I was supposed to win MVP. I don’t know why they didn’t give it to me. But it’s all fun and games and I feel like everybody had fun and it was all worth it.”

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(Jared Goff and Byron Murphy ended up taking home the MVP trophies after the NFC’s 76-63 win.)

Turpin’s performance, though, may have some legitimately wondering if he’ll be deserving of a spot on the Team USA roster when flag football makes its debut at the 2028 Olympic Games. At the very least, maybe new Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus would want to consider designing a few special packages that use Turpin in 2026.

Of course, Turpin may find a bit more pass-rush resistance when the opposing team is allowed to deploy actual offensive linemen.

But for one day in Orlando, at least, Turpin was a one-man wrecking crew… on defense.

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Jared Goff shines in passing event at Pro Bowl Games

Lions QB Jared Goff shines in passing event at Pro Bowl Games

Lions quarterback Jared Goff took full advantage of his opportunity to shine during the Pro Bowl Games Thursday.

The MVP finalist took part in the event called “Passing the Test”, in which a quarterback was paired with a wide receiver who answered trivia questions. Each correct answer added ten seconds to the quarterback’s base time of 40 seconds.

Goff’s partner was Packers running back Josh Jacobs. Jacobs answered five questions correctly, adding 50 seconds to Goff’s base of 40, giving him 1:30 on the clock.

Goff then had to throw at numerous targets, ranging from 1-5 points. Goff hit all nine targets, allowing the targets to reset. He added 17 more won his second round of targets, giving him a total of 44 points, a score that held up and was the winning point total, beating out Sam Darnold’s 39 points and putting three team points on the board for the NFC.

WATCH: Russell Wilson cooked at the 2025 Pro Bowl Skills Showdown

Russell Wilson delivered in the Skills Showdown, shining in the Passing the Test challenge before a late struggle on the final ‘5’ target.

With Russell Wilson getting the 2025 Pro Bowl nod when he was asked to replace Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen, who was nursing a wrist injury, the Pittsburgh Steelers signal-caller made the most of his opportunity in the Skills Showdown on Thursday.

More specifically, Wilson looked great during the Passing the Test game—a precision-focused challenge with a twist—additional bonus time could be added if the quarterback’s partner could correctly answer five trivia-styled questions.

Wilson was tasked with surpassing Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff’s impressive score of 44 points and looked like he was on the right track as he scored 22 points with :43 seconds remaining. However, Wilson struggled to hit the last “5” target, ultimately trimming off 37 seconds until he was able to reset the targets.

Wilson still has the opportunity to impress when he participates in the Flag Football game during the 2025 Pro Bowl Championship on Sunday, February 2, at 3:00 PM EST.

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Full list of Pro Bowl skills challenges tonight (plus TV info)

The Pro Bowl Skills Show will air live on ESPN tonight. Here’s the full list of challenges.

The Pro Bowl Skills Challenge has been renamed the Pro Bowl Skills Show and the 2025 edition will be held tonight (Thursday, Jan. 30) from 7-8:30 p.m. ET (5-6:30 p.m. MT).

The made-for-TV event will be nationally televised on ESPN and available to stream on FuboTV (try it free). Following the skills show, the players will return to action in a flag football game on Sunday, Feb. 2.

The Denver Broncos have three players participating in the Pro Bowl Games this year: cornerback Pat Surtain, pass rusher Nik Bonitto and returner Marvin Mims. Broncos guard Quinn Meinerz and quarterback Bo Nix were also invited as alternates but they declined.

Peyton Manning (AFC) and Eli Manning (NFC) are returning to coach the 2025 Pro Bowl Games this season and the NFL recently announced the skills challenges that will take place in Orlando. Here’s the full list.

2025 Pro Bowl Skills Challenges

Thursday, Jan. 30:

  • Passing The Test: Quarterbacks try to hit targets at various distances around the field worth different point values in 40 seconds. Before the challenge, each quarterback will select a Pro Bowl Games teammate to answer five trivia questions about current Pro Bowl players. For every correct answer, the quarterback gets an additional 10 seconds. The winner of the competition is the team with the quarterback who scores the most points.
  • Satisfying Catches presented by SNICKERS®: One wide receiver, tight end and defensive back from each conference will compete in a challenge obstacle course, including catches from a jugs machine at three different distances, to test every aspect of catching a football. Each teammate will complete the course back-to-back with the lowest combined time winning the challenge.
  • Relay Race: A simultaneous relay-style event where four players from each conference complete a 40-yard dash before handing a football to the next athlete on their team, continuing until the fourth and final leg crosses the finish line. The conferences will compete in three rounds, with the fastest team winning.
  • Helmet Harmony: A game show to test player knowledge of their teammates, with every correct answer worth one point. The team with the most correct answers wins.
  • Dodgeball presented by Bud Light: A three-round tournament of classic dodgeball featuring six teams of five players. Teams will be a mix of AFC offensive, defensive and special teams players competing against a mix of NFC offensive, defensive and special teams players.

Sunday, Feb. 2:

  • Punt Perfect: Two players (one punter, one non-punter) from each conference punt from the 35-yard line, attempting to place as many punts as possible into a set of six buckets in the end zone. Each bucket is worth one point, with every fifth punt worth three points. The two players with the highest combined score will be the winners.
  • The Great Football Race: Six players from each conference will face off in a relay race consisting of five different challenges, culminating with a sled push. The team to cross the finish line first wins.
  • Tug-of-War: A five-on-five demonstration of teamwork, strength and strategy, and positioned above a foam pit, players are challenged to pull backwards on the rope, attempting to move the opposing team in their direction. The competition will be the best of three, and the winner who pulls the opposing team into the foam pit twice wins.

The Pro Bowl Games are held at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.

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Patrick Queen replaces Roquan Smith as Ravens have two more out of 2025 Pro Bowl

Patrick Queen and Jeffery Simmons replace Roquan Smith and Nnamdi Madubuike on 2025 Pro Bowl rosters

The Baltimore Ravens initially had Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry opt out of the 2025 Pro Bowl games before the NFL released a final participation list. That list was amended again after Roquan Smith and Nnamdi Madubuike opted out before Thursday’s start date. Linebacker Patrick Queen, who replaced Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith, was named to the Pro Bowl Games.

Queen, who signed with the Steelers as an unrestricted free agent during the 2024 offseason, started all 17 games and the Wild Card game at inside linebacker.

Queen, who was selected to the Pro Bowl Games in 2023 while with the Baltimore Ravens, finished the 2024 season with a team-high 129 tackles, the fifth-most n by a Steelers defender since 1994. He added seven passes defenses, defended seven passes, had two forced fumbles, one forced two fumbles, sacked one, and recovered. He was the first in the NFL in 2024 to record 125 or more tackles, six or more tackles for loss, and seven or more passes in defense.

Titans defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons is headed back to the Pro Bowl.

On Wednesday, Simmons was named a replacement for Madubuike at the Pro Bowl Games. Madubuike cannot participate due to an injury.

It will be Simmons’s third Pro Bowl appearance, also named a Pro Bowler in 2021 and 2022.

Simmons finished second on the team with 76 tackles in 2024 and led the team with 42 quarterback pressures. Simmons also tallied five sacks, 11 tackles for a loss, four passes defended, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.

The Pro Bowl Games will be held Thursday through Sunday in Orlando, Florida. They will include skills competitions and a flag football game.

Marlon Humphrey, Kyle Hamilton, Tyler Linderbaum, Patrick Ricard, Ronnie Stanley, and Kyle Van Noy are all slated to participate.

Ravens still have eight Pro Bowlers, after Henry and Jackson opt-out

Baltimore Ravens fans have plenty of reasons to tune in, should they feel a need for consuming live football in some form this Sunday.

Ravens still have eight Pro Bowlers, after Henry and Jackson opt-out

While All-Star exhibition games receive a fair amount of criticism, with detractors claiming an overall decline in relevance, people still watch them.

Even those who like to proclaim on social media, “I do not watch the Pro Bowl,” still convey an awareness of, but also an opinion on, the National Football League’s All-Star showcase.

Baltimore Ravens fans have plenty of reasons to tune in if they need to watch live football on Sunday.

At one point, Baltimore placed nine players on the 2025 AFC Pro Bowl squad. As of Wednesday, four days before the Pro Bowl game, they now have eight due to three declines and two more invites.

Wide receiver Zay Flowers, who missed the regular season finale and the postseason due to a knee injury, will skip the game to focus on his rehabilitation.

On Tuesday, it was made official that quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry (who led all AFC running backs in Pro Bowl voting) are opting out.

This was pretty much expected, however. So, who are the six that remain?

On offense, Patrick Ricard will start at fullback. Tackle Ronnie Stanley got his career back on track this season, and he fills in for the Houston Texans’ Laremy Tunsil on the squad.

Meanwhile, Tyler Linderbaum is the AFC’s second-choice Pro Bowl center. On defense, Nnamdi Madubuike represents the Ravens at the tackle position.

Elsewhere, outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy made the first Pro Bowl of his career, replacing the Pittsburgh Steelers’ T.J. Watt. Kyle Hamilton led all AFC’s strong safeties in Pro Bowl voting, while Roquan Smith will start as an inside linebacker.

Finally, cornerback Marlon Humphrey joins Hamilton in the AFC secondary.

Will Texans QB C.J. Stroud appear at the Pro Bowl games?

It’s best not to assume that C.J. Stroud will be headed down to Orlando with the rest of the Houston Texans this week.

Houston Texans second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud is getting ready for 2025.

He’s leaving everything, including a trip to Orlando, in 2024.

Stroud, who guided Houston to its second AFC South division title in as many seasons, will not participate in the Pro Bowl games with five other Texans players later this week. According to ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime, he was invited as an alternate but declined.

Stroud wants to be the reason why Houston competes for a Super Bowl title in 2025. While the offense should look different following the firing of offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, he too must improve on his numbers.

Even with insufficient play designs under Slowik, Stroud struggled to regain his Offensive Rookie of the Year confidence. After becoming the fifth rookie in league history to throw for over 4,000 yards, Stroud regressed, tossing 20 touchdown passes against 12 interceptions for 3,727 yards.

The two-time Heisman finalist also completed a career-low 63.2% of his threw for 7.0 yards per attempt and posted an 87.0 passer rating.

During his end-of-the-year presser, Stroud said he would look back on the campaign and “self-scout” what needs to be corrected internally to help Houston get over the 10-win hump in 2025.

He also said he plans to relax for a bit to get his mind in the right space before attacking the offseason.

“It’s not a crime to take care of yourself and I’ll probably do that a little bit like take a week off or something and then hit it hard and get my body right,” Stroud said. “I don’t think it’s a secret anymore that I can run a little bit, so I have to get my body right to make sure I can take some of those hits and be ready for next year.”

Wide receiver Nico Collins, running back Joe Mixon, offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, defensive end Danielle Hunter and All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. will represent Houston during the Pro Bowl game this week at Camping World Stadium.

Texans’ 2025 opponents are finalized: Who will Houston play next season?

Here’s who’s on the Houston Texans’ schedule for 2025 after another 10-win season.

Right now, the Houston Texans’ focus is built around winning a wild-card game on Saturday against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Then, all sights turn to securing the first divisional round victory in franchise history.

And if all goes according to plan, the Texans will look to punch their ticket to a Super Bowl and a date down in New Orleans with the NFC’s bell of the ball.

But now with the regular season over, Houston knows its path back to the postseason and a third consecutive AFC South division title for 2025. Unlike like year, there will be several usual suspects making a trip down to NRG Stadium next fall.

In addition to the six games in the AFC South, Houston will also play the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens again as conference champions.

Houston went 1-2 against the top three seeds, defeating the Bills in Week 5 while dropping back-to-back games on a short week to the Cheifs and Ravens.

Instead of facing off against the NFC North and AFC East, the Texans are paired with the NFC West and AFC West in the league’s rotation.

Houston will host Arizona, Denver, Las Vegas and San Francisco. They’ll travel to SoFi Stadium twice for matchups against the Chargers and Rams, while also returning to Arrowhead for the third time in five years.

To close out the schedule, the Texans will host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, bringing their home total to nine games next season. The Buccaneers also finished with a 10-7 record after clinching the NFC South.

This past season, Houston traveled to Arlington for a “Monday Night Football” bout with the Dallas Cowboys as the crosstown AFC-NFC matchup.

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Pro Bowl snub cost Texans DE Danielle Hunter a nice bonus for 2024 season

Danielle Hunter missing the Pro Bowl might have cost him a bit of cash for 2024.

While Danielle Hunter might rank in the top three for sacks entering Week 18, the Houston Texans defensive end was not one of the three edge rushers selected for the AFC Pro Bowl roster.

Now, his paycheck is suffering the consequences.

According to CBS Sports’ Joel Corry, Hunter’s two-year contract with the included a $1 million bonus for making the Pro Bowl. He’s currently the first alternate behind Cleveland Browns’ Myles Garrett, Cincinnati Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson and Las Vegas Raiders’ Maxx Crosby.

The voting isn’t entirely wrong since Garrett and Hendrickson have a case.

The AFC North duo are tied for the league lead in sacks with 14 apiece. Garrett, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, also ranks first in tackles for loss and third in QB hits with 28.

Fans have questioned the move of Crosby over Hunter. Not only is the four-time Pro Bowler from Minnesota healthy entering the final regular season game, his numbers outweigh Crosby’s on every level.

Hunter’s 13 sacks outgain Crosby’s 7.5 by nearly double.

His 17 tackles for loss are one more than Crosby’s 16.

And Hunter leads the league with 90 pressures, according to NFL’s Next Gen stats. Crosby? He’s only totaled 53.

While Crosby is likely to miss the game after undergoing ankle surgery, Hunter’s proven stats were worthy of a first-ballot nod. Time will tell if he opts in and gets a chance to earn the bonus as an alternate next month.

The Texans close out the 2024 regular season on the road against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on Sunday. Kickoff from Nashville is scheduled for noon CT.

Bills’ James Cook was not happy being left out of 2025 Pro Bowl

Bills’ James Cook was not happy being left out of 2025 Pro Bowl

James Cook is not happy with the NFL right now.

On Thursday, the league announced the initial players named to the 2025 Pro Bowl rosters. Cook was there… only as a first alternate.

Many around Buffalo will consider Cook as the player at the top of their list of those that were snubbed. But considering only quarterback Josh Allen and offensive lineman Dion Dawkins were selected from the Bills, that’s probably a longer list than just Cook.

Cook will very likely end the 2024 season under 1,000 rushing yards as he sits on 981 currently and in Buffalo’s season finale he won’t see much, if any, playing time.

Even so, he ranks second in rushing DVOA this season trailing only the Baltimore Ravens’ Derrick Henry.

All in all, like fans, Cook was not amused after being a Pro Bowler last season. He let the NFL know, directly.

After rosters were announced, Cook took to social media and responded to the NFL’s message on X/Twitter with a complaint.

Cook’s message can be found below:

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