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USA Today
31-01-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
2025 Pro Bowl Games results: NFC takes lead over AFC after Thursday Skills Showdown
The NFC has typically dominated the AFC since the Pro Bowl format changed from an actual football game to a series of skills challenges in 2023. The trend continued as the 2025 Pro Bowl Games opened on Thursday. Eli Manning's NFC squad sports a 14-7 lead over his brother Peyton Manning's AFC squad through six challenges on Thursday. The NFC got off to a hot start, winning the Passing the Test event and the Satisfying Catches contest, before the AFC closed the gap with a narrow Big Spike victory. The two conferences traded blows as the evening went on, but the AFC still finds itself in the unenviable position of having ground to make up entering Sunday's events. Here are the results and highlights from Thursday's action: RANKING ALL 58 SUPER BOWLS:How does first Chiefs-Eagles clash rate? NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more. Passing the Test: Jared Goff wins for NFC with razor-sharp performance Goff got the NFC off to a hot start, matching a strong showing from Joe Burrow on the AFC side of the bracket. Goff scored 44 points in the event, which featured quarterbacks from each conference taking aim at targets both moving and stationary to earn points. The NFC ended up with the top two scores in the contest — Sam Darnold finished with 39 points — and took home three points for its performance. Satisfying Catches: Justin Jefferson leads NFC to victory despite Ja'Marr Chase's strong showing Chase was able to make three consecutive one-handed catches to start the receiving gauntlet, but things fell apart for the AFC after his strong stuff. Chase wasted some time after failing to make a diving catch while Derek Stingley Jr. struggled to make catches with the mascot hands during his go-round in the event. Justin Jefferson and the NFC had set the pace with a 1:57 mark in the events combined, so that stood as the winning time from the second Pro Bowl event. Big Spike: Quinnen Williams powers AFC to first victory The "Big Spike" competition was exactly what it sounded like. Three players from each conference got a chance to throw down the hardest possible spike they could. Williams emerged as the winner of the event, posting a 982 to cut the NFC's lead to 6-3. Dexter Lawrence came close to unseating Williams with a 979, making it one of the closest margins of the evening. Helmet Harmony: NFC edges AFC in 'Newlywed Game' knock-off If you ever wondered what it would be like to see you favorite NFL players go on "The Newlywed Game" together, you're in luck. One of the Pro Bowl events this year was all about which teammates knew each other best. The AFC and NFC traded blows in this one, but ultimately, the Green Bay Packers helped carry their squad to a narrow victory. That made it 9-3 NFC. Relay Races: NFC beats AFC 2-1 in best-of-three heats The Relay Race portion of the evening was marred by fumbled exchanges. The first heat was the closest of the bunch, as the AFC's fumble came just before the final leg, but from there, the teams traded blowouts. The highlight of the relay races came when the Bosa brothers faced one another to open the second race. Rather than sprint against one another, they decided to speedwalk, with Joey Bosa earning the early edge in the contest. Dodgeball: AFC takes first matchup, NFC answers with win in second The evening ended with a dodgeball matchup between the two conferences. The AFC earned an easy win in the first contest, as Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman Leonard Williams was left stranded in a 1-on-5 situation as the NFC's final hope before being eliminated. The second game saw the NFC flip the script. This time, Indianapolis Colts guard Quenton Nelson was the last man standing. Dallas Cowboys guard Tyler Smith caught a toss from the lefty Nelson to end the AFC's chances of further cutting into their deficit. The split allowed the NFC to end the night with a 14-7 lead. All the NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY's 4th and Monday newsletter.
Boston Globe
30-01-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye does not pass the test in skills event at the Pro Bowl
Before the quarterbacks throw, a fellow Pro Bowler from their conference will answer five trivia questions to bank additional time. Each correct answer is worth 10 additional seconds. Maye was paired with former Patriots tight end Jonnu Smith, who answered four correctly. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Maye was able to hit eight of his nine targets during his 80 seconds, missing the moving 5-pointer. Advertisement 'Golly!' Maye let out during a cold stretch. Still, he earned praise from those watching. 'He just throws it so effortlessly,' said Peyton Manning, who is coaching the AFC team. 'That arm won't get tired,' said ESPN's Dan Orlovsky, one of the event's commentators. 'I think Drake needed to rip it a little bit more because the scaffolding got in his way a couple times.' Maye was named to the Pro Bowl as a replacement for Baltimore's Lamar Jackson. He is the lone Patriot representative at the festivities in Orlando, as special teamer Brenden Schooler opted out because of offseason surgery. Maye and Schooler are New England's first Pro Bowlers since 2022, when outside linebacker Matthew Judon was the team's lone selection. 'Passing the Test' was the only event Maye participated in Thursday night. Other events included 'Satisfying Catches,' 'The Big Spike,' 'Helmet Harmony,' a relay race, and dodgeball. Maye is expected to play in the flag football game between the AFC and NFC on Sunday. . . . The Patriots are hiring Scott Booker to join their staff, a league source confirmed Thursday. Advertisement Booker spent last season as Buffalo's nickel coach and senior defensive assistant. He worked with Mike Vrabel for six seasons in Tennessee, starting as a defensive assistant before becoming safeties coach. He'll likely work alongside newly hired Kevin Richardson to coach the secondary. Before Vrabel first hired Booker in 2018, he coached for 15 years at the collegiate level with stops at Nebraska, Notre Dame, Western Kentucky, and his alma mater Kent State. During his seven-year tenure at Notre Dame, Booker served as an offensive intern, tight ends coach, and special teams coordinator. The majority of Vrabel's former colleagues are on the defensive side of the ball, with defensive coordinator Terrell Williams, Zak Kuhr, and Clinton McMillan joining Booker. All worked for multiple seasons in Tennessee, while Kuhr also was a coaching intern during Vrabel's time as a position coach at Ohio State. The titles for Kuhr and McMillan have yet to be announced, but their backgrounds suggest Kuhr will be working with linebackers and McMillan with the defensive line. Milton Patterson, one of Vrabel's few defensive hires who didn't work in Tennessee, will likely help coaching linebackers. Patterson has more than a decade of coaching experience at the collegiate level, most recently serving as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Florida A&M. The Patriots will be his first job in the NFL. . . . Last year's defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington landed a new job. According to ESPN, Matt LaFleur has hired Covington to serve as Green Bay's defensive line coach. Before getting promoted last season, Covington spent four seasons in that role for the Patriots. Advertisement Nicole Yang can be reached at
