Pro Bowl: Russell Wilson, Antonio Brown, Todd Gurley among ones to watch
Written by News on 28/01/2018
A whole host of NFL superstars take centre stage on Sunday for the 2018 Pro Bowl!
Before we get to the Super Bowl on February 4, the NFL’s All-Star event – pitting the best players from the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC) against each other – takes place this Sunday, live on Sky Sports Action from 7.30pm.
While there are many more names in action than just the ones listed here, we have tried to pick out three ones to watch out for from each conference…
Antonio Brown (AFC)
Brown’s 1,533 yards led the league in receiving this year, and that’s despite missing the final two weeks of the season to injury. Before that calf injury, sustained in Pittsburgh Steelers’ crushing defeat to the New England Patriots, there was even talk of Brown being picked as league MVP – a feat never before accomplished by a wide receiver. Though the Steelers were one-and-done in the playoffs, suffering a disappointing divisional-round loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Brown returned to full fitness and hauled in 132 yards and two sensational TDs on his seven receptions.
Von Miller (AFC)
It’s not all about offense. While the Pro Bowl tends to be a more high-scoring affair than most NFL games, there are still some real defensive stars on show, on both teams. But, the star of them all is surely Miller – the Denver Broncos linebacker finished with 10 quarterback sacks this season, the fourth year in a row he’s hit double figures. In fact, there’s only the one injury-ravaged 2013 season where Miller did not record 10 or more sacks since entering the league in 2011. NFC QBs look out!
Jarvis Landry (AFC)
For the second year running, the Miami Dolphins receiver was the star man in the Skills Challenge, on Thursday. Landry stepped up particularly in the Drone Drop, with his winning catch from 120 feet getting the better of Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson, while he was also the last man standing in the dodgeball to seal the AFC’s victory. On the football field, Landry has had another strong year – his 987 yards is down on his previous two 1,000-yard campaigns, but he did haul in a career-best nine TDs.
Russell Wilson (NFC)
A bad final few weeks for Wilson as his Seattle Seahawks’ playoff push trailed off might well hurt his league MVP hopes, but his staggering displays throughout the year earned him plenty of credit in the bank! Not only did Wilson throw for 3,983 yards passing, with a career-high 34 TDs, but he also finished as the team’s leading rusher – 586 yards and three trips into the endzone. In fact, incredibly, Wilson was directly involved in all but one of Seattle’s scores this season, with J.D. McKissic’s Week Four rushing TD against the Indianapolis Colts the only exception.
Todd Gurley (NFC)
What a year Gurley has had! After a down 2016 to follow on from a stunning rookie campaign, the Los Angeles Rams runner was well and truly back to his best this season, with an incredible 2,093 yards from scrimmage and 19 touchdowns. It sees him truly in the race, with Wilson, for the league MVP award.
Alvin Kamara (NFC)
The NFC’s backfield is pure scary. Not only does it hold Gurley, but also at their disposal is the New Orleans Saints double-headed monster of Kamara and Mark Ingram. The two combined for 1,852 yards on the ground this season and while Kamara’s 728 was the lesser of those totals, he more than made up for it with his contribution to the passing game – the rookie star had 1,554 yards from scrimmage and 13 TDs.
See the best players in the AFC and NFC battle it out in the Pro Bowl, live on Sky Sports Action from 7.30pm on Sunday. Then watch Super Bowl LII between the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles live on Sky Sports Action from 10pm on Sunday, February 4.
Sky brings you all the build up from Super Bowl LII through our website skysports.com/NFL also our app for mobile devices and iPad, or follow our Twitter account @SkySportsNFL
(c) Sky News 2018: Pro Bowl: Russell Wilson, Antonio Brown, Todd Gurley among ones to watch
