What Is Pro Bowl Skills Competition 2023?
Have you ever wanted to watch some of the NFL’s top players play water balloon toss and dodgeball? You should look at the Pro Bowl skills competition.
NFL Pro Bowl Skills Competition 2023 Explained
There will be anything from frivolous competition to more intense events at the first Pro Bowl Games in 2023. The skills contest will start on February 2 (7-8:30 p.m. ET) and go until February 5. (3 p.m. ET).
The Pro Bowl is the equivalent of an All-Star weekend in the National Football League. The Pro Bowl, which has a history dating back to 1951, is intended to display the skills of some of the league’s top players in a carnival-style setting for the entertainment of sports fans.
Tyler Huntley in the Pro Bowl precision passing contest: pic.twitter.com/CLLCwAA6cG
— Brian (@byysports) January 31, 2023
A flag football game between players from the NFC and AFC will now end the Pro Bowl, which was also redesigned this year.
The skills competition will take held Thursday at the Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center, the home of the Las Vegas Raiders, and on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium.
Players will compete in a variety of skill categories, and their scores will add up before the flag football games. Each conference’s squad will receive three extra points for winning the respective skills competition. There are a total of 24 points available.
Barry Sanders was selected to the Pro Bowl in all 10 seasons of his career.
— TodayInSports (@TodayInSportsCo) January 24, 2023
What are the skills competitions?
In short, the skills contests are designed to showcase the players’ football skills and athletic abilities via various drills. The following are the competitions that will take place during the Pro Bowl weekend:
- Epic Pro Bowl Dodgeball, a multi-round classic dodgeball game
- Lightning Round, a three-drill elimination style challenge that will feature the Splash Catch, High Stakes, and the Thrill of the Spill
- Longest Drive, a contest that will see who can drive a golf ball the farthest
- Precision Passing, an accuracy contest featuring some of the league’s leading quarterbacks
- Best Catch, a fan vote that will see players come up with innovative ways to catch the ball, the second and final round will take place on Sunday and the winner will be determined by a panel of judges.
- Gridiron Gauntlet, a challenge-infused relay race
- Kick Tac Toe, a kicking contest with a tic-tac-toe spin
- Move The Chains, a weighted wall pull
TRUE or FALSE:
The NFL needs to get rid of any pro bowl events and just name who the pro bowlers are for each year. pic.twitter.com/LDXzKknNqN
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) January 31, 2023
How to watch Pro Bowl Games
Date: Thursday, Feb. 2 and Sunday, Feb. 5 | Times: Thursday (7-8:30 p.m. ET), Sunday (3 p.m. ET)
Location: Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center and Allegiant Stadium — Las Vegas, Nevada
TV Channel: ESPN | Streaming: fuboTV (try for free) | Follow: CBS Sports App
Thursday, Feb. 2
Epic Pro Bowl Dodgeball: This will be a multi-round tournament featuring four teams of five players. It will begin with the offenses and defenses from the conferences and will end with a game between the AFC and NFC winners of each game.
AFC Participants
- Ja’Marr Chase, Bengals
- Nick Chubb, Browns
- Sauce Gardner, Jets
- Myles Garrett, Browns
- Tyreek Hill, Dolphins
NFC Participants
- Saquon Barkley, Giants
- Dalvin Cook, Vikings
- CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys
- Micah Parsons, Cowboys
- Jalen Ramsey, Rams
Lightning Round: This is a new category this year and will feature 16 players selected by each conference in a three-part elimination challenge. In the end, only one will be left standing.
- The first event is a “Lightning Round — Splash Catch,” where pairs from each conference will throw water balloons to each other, as the distance between them increases. Those who catch all tosses from their partner will advance.
- The second event will be “Lightning Round — High Stakes,” where those who advance will catch punts from a JUGS machine.
- The final event will be the “Lightning Round — Thrill of the Spill,” where the players left from each conference will aim at targets attached to a bucket hanging above the head of an opposing conference’s coach. The first team that dumps the bucket on the coach earns three points for the conference.
The AFC Pro Bowl QBs pic.twitter.com/ctTHXxTQmx
— PFF (@PFF) January 31, 2023
AFC Participants
- Quinnen Williams, Jets, and Mitch Morse, BIlls
- Joel Bitonio, Browns, and Pat Surtain II, Broncos
- Laremy Tunsil, Texans, and Ben Jones, Titans
- Jamal Agnew, Jaguars, and Justin Hardee, Jets
- Bradley Chubb, Dolphins, and Rodger Saffold, Bills
- Matt Milano, Bills, and Jeffrey Simmons, Titans
- Wyatt Teller, Browns, and Derrick Henry, Titans
- Dion Dawkins, Bills, and Patrick Ricard, Ravens
- Cam Heyward, Steelers, and Trey Hendrickson, Bengals
- Terron Armstead, Dolphins, and Xavien Howard, Dolphins
NFC Participants
- Frank Ragnow, Lions, and Budda Baker, Cardinals
- Chris Lindstrom, Falcons, and Brian Burns, Panthers
- KaVonte Turpin, Cowboys, and Jeremy Reaves, Commanders
- Penei Sewell, Lions, and Cam Jordan, Saints
- Terry McLaurin, Commanders, and Fred Warner, 49ers
- Tristan Wirfs, Buccaneers, and Demarcus Lawrence, Cowboys
- Talanoa Hufanga, 49ers, and Quandre Diggs, Seahawks
- Dexter Lawrence, Giants, and Zack Martin, Cowboys
- Tyler Biadasz, Cowboys, and Danielle Hunter, Vikings
- Trent Williams, 49ers, and Elgton Jenkins, Packers
Tyler Huntley pro bowl appearances: 1
Joe Burrow pro bowl appearances: 0 pic.twitter.com/MYZ1G360oD
— Lockdown Ar’Darius (@Gamergod29) January 31, 2023
Longest Drive: Four players from each conference will compete in this challenge, seeing who can drive a golf ball the farthest distance off a tee. The players participating will get three swings each and the one who drives it the furthest within the boundaries gets three points for their conference.
AFC Participants
- Justin Tucker, Ravens
- Jordan Poyer, Bills
- C.J. Mosley, Jets
- Davante Adams, Raiders
- Matt Judon, Patriots
NFC Participants
- Jonathan Allen, Commanders
- Tress Way, Commanders
- Daron Payne, Commanders
- T.J. Hockenson, Vikings
- Za’Darius Smith, Vikings
The NFL has named its captains for the 2023 Pro Bowl:
AFC: Snoop Dogg
NFC: Pete DavidsonSnoop will captain Peyton Manning's AFC team, and Davidson will lead Eli Manning's NFC squad. pic.twitter.com/wxpPjj1MiH
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) January 19, 2023
Precision Passing: The three quarterbacks from each conference will compete in a one-minute accuracy competition. The goal is to accumulate points by hitting as many targets as possible, totaling 10 static and moving targets. The targets range from one to five points, as well as a Long Toss Bucket 60 yards away worth 10 points. The QB who ends with the highest score gets three points for their conference.
AFC Participants
- Tyler Huntley, Ravens
- Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars
- Derek Carr, Raiders
NFC Participants
- Geno Smith, Seahawks
- Kirk Cousins, Vikings
- Jared Goff, Lions
ya girl got invited to the Pro Bowl & the men are crying (as per usual) LMFAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO pic.twitter.com/Mm5yqSjgeu
— Drew Afualo (@DrewAfualo) February 2, 2023
Best Catch (First Round): This competition will feature two players from each conference as they show off their creativity, inventiveness and talent in catching the ball. Fans will vote online to determine the best catch by a player in each conference and the one with the most votes will compete in the finals on Sunday.
AFC Participants
- Pat Surtain II, Broncos
- Stefon Diggs, Bills
NFC Participants
- Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions
- Justin Jefferson, Vikings
Behind the Scences at the Pro Bowl: Kick-Tac-Toe Practice with the Specialist was 🔥 pic.twitter.com/zY3YwOYlEG
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) February 2, 2023
Sunday, Feb. 5
Best Catch (Finale): The top-voted players from each conference will go head-to-head, performing in front of celebrity judges. The one who gets the highest score will be named the winner.
Participants: TBD
Gridiron Gauntlet: Six players from each conference will compete to earn three points for the team. The four-part gauntlet will showcase strength, speed and agility in segments 40 yards in length. There will be breakaway wills, a competition of climbing over walls and under tables, a tire run and a blocking sled carrying a coach across the finish line.
AFC Participants
- Joel Bitonio, Browns
- Myles Garrett, Browns
- Nick Chubb, Browns
- Cam Heyward, Steelers
- Dion Dawkins, Bills
NFC Participants
- Penei Sewell, Lions
- Brian Burns, Panthers
- Saquon Barkley, Giants
- Tristan Wirfs, Buccaneers
- Cam Jordan, Saints
That's ProBowl Budda to you ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/iw4e2PejG9
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) February 2, 2023
Kick Tac Toe: Each team’s kicker, punter and long snapper will compete to complete a connecting line of three squares or hit five squares total. The first to complete the challenge will be awarded three points for their conference.
AFC Participants
- Kicker: Justin Tucker, Ravens
- Punter: A.J. Cole, Raiders
- Long snapper: Morgan Cox, Titans
NFC Participants
- Kicker: Jason Myers, Seahawks
- Punter: Tress Way, Commanders
- Long snapper: Andrew DePaola, Vikings
Tyler Huntley has been named to the Pro Bowl games to replace Josh Allen (elbow) pic.twitter.com/tDIAhVfg4D
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 31, 2023
Move The Chains: Two teams from each conference will compete side by side, pulling a weighted wall 10 yards as quickly as possible using first down chains. The best of three in the competition aimed to showcase strength, speed and ingenuity will get three points for their conference.
AFC Team 1
- Quinnen Williams, Jets
- Trey Hendrickson, Bengals
- Laremy Tunsil, Texans
- Terron Armstead, Dolphins
- Jeffrey Simmons, Titans
AFC Team 2
- Maxx Crosby, Raiders
- Rodger Saffold, Bills
- Ben Jones, Titans
- Mitch Morse, Bills
- Wyatt Teller, Browns
QB @_SNOOP1 has been named to the Pro Bowl Games and is replacing Josh Allen, who is unable to participate due to injury. pic.twitter.com/RjqErzGS0q
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) January 31, 2023
NFC Team 1
- Jonathan Allen, Commanders
- Frank Ragnow, Lions
- Chris Lindstrom, Falcons
- Trent Williams, 49ers
- Demarcus Lawrence, Cowboys
NFC Team 2
- Dexter Lawrence, Giants
- Daron Payne, Commanders
- Zack Martin, Cowboys
- Elgton Jenkins, Packers
- Tyler Biadasz, Cowboys
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