The 2018 Pro Bowl is this Sunday, and will be seen on ESPN. The game will be played in Orlando Florida for the second straight season, with Camping World Stadium as the host of the game. The rosters were set just before Christmas, with both teams needing to make changes to their roster. Guys that are playing in the Super Bowl will not play in the Pro Bowl, and typically anyone with a remote chance of being hurt will not play in the Pro Bowl. The toughest part for oddsmakers in a game that means absolutely nothing is to deal with the rosters, and who will and won’t play. Typically the final odds are not released for the Pro Bowl until the morning of the game. Right now, we have the NFC at -2 over the AFC, but that is subject to change as well. Let’s take a look at the 2018 Pro Bowl rosters, and then give our pick and prediction.
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AFC
In the AFC – the Pittsburgh Steelers had 10 players selected to the Pro Bowl. That was the most, with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers and Tennessee Titans coming up next with 6. Out of the NFC – the Los Angeles Rams had the most, with 8, while Seattle, Minnesota and New Orleans came in with 7. Interestingly, the New England Patriots had 4 and the Philadelphia Eagles 6, but those 10 guys will be sitting out for the Super Bowl.
Team AFC was of course supposed to have Tom Brady as it’s quarterback. Well, of course he is playing for the bigger prize, and instead Ben Roethlisberger, Alex Smith and Derek Carr will get the nod. Phillip Rivers was voted, but will not play in the game.
The rest of the offensive skill players for Team AFC include Le’Veon Bell, LeSean McCoy and Kareem Hunt for the running back position. Those were the three starters chosen, with no replacements. The receiving core saw DeAndre Hopkins and A.J. Green back out, which led Keenan Allen, Jarvis Landry and T.Y. Hilton to fill out the foursome with Antonio Brown. The tight ends are both replacements as Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce will neither one play. Instead, Delanie Walker of the Titans and Jack Doyle of the Colts will get action. Tyreke Hill will serve as the specialist return man for the AFC, while Chris Boswell of the Steelers will get the field goal attempts.
NFC
The NFC’s quarterback situation is similar. Carson Wentz was supposed to be the starter, but his injury has him on the sideline. Instead, Drew Brees should get the start for his head coach Sean Payton, while Russell Wilson and Jared Goff serve as backups.
The rest of the skill offensive players for the NFC include Todd Gurley, a guy that many think will win the regular season MVP. Him, along with the Saints duo of Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram have the NFC running game looking awfully good. Adam Thielen gets his first Pro Bowl appearance, and he will team with Michael Thomas, Davante Adams and Dou Baldwin. Julio Jones and Larry Fitzgerald were voted, but will not compete. At the tight end – the same situation as the AFC happened where Zach Ertz and Jimmy Graham will not play, therefore Jason Witten and Kyle Rudolph get the nod. The return man for the NFC is Rams Pharoh Cooper, Graham Gano gets a chance to kick the field goals for Team NFC.
NFC Downs AFC
In the end – the game means very little, to nothing. It’s a glorified scrimmage, with the best players in the league going at it. Over the last couple years, the defenses have gotten better, and tried harder. The NFC is looking to snap a three game losing streak in the Pro Bowl. With us looking at the rosters, we are siding with the NFC. It appears to be a more complete roster, and a roster of guys that we think will give a better effort and want to win the game. When we are betting this game – we are taking Todd Gurley as the Pro Bowl MVP, with the NFC winning the game. Bet the NFC to win the 2018 Pro Bowl. Good luck with your US sports betting.