After a high-scoring affair that saw the NFC come out on top over the AFC in 2024, the AFC is hoping to exact a slice of revenge as the top players from the NFL‘s two conferences meet in a flag football game to end the 2025 Pro Bowl Games.
After a fun-filled slate of skills competitions earlier this week, the Pro Bowl Games will end with many of the NFL‘s best players gathering for a four-quarter flag football game, one week before Super Bowl LIX kicks off from New Orleans, Louisiana. The action is set to begin at 3:00 p.m. Eastern in the United States, with ABC and ESPN broadcasting the final slate of events.
Pro Bowl Games 2025 live updates: Everything you need to know about the third annual Pro Bowl Games, from Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida
How do the Pro Bowl Games work?
The NFL has altered the Pro Bowl parameters many times over the years, for various reasons. But the league hopes it has found, more or less, an ideal “compromise” with the latest Pro Bowl Games format, which was first instituted with the 2023 edition.
The Pro Bowl Games are separated into two event “blocks”. The first block, held Thursday night, featured several skills competitions: Passing the Test (a quarterback accuracy competition), Satisfying Catches, the Big Spike, Helmet Harmony, Relay Race, and a true classic in Dodgeball.
So far, the NFC holds a 14-7 advantage over the AFC. Sunday brings three more skill games: a “Madden NFL” video game livestream called Head to Head, Perfect Punt, the Great Football Race, and Tug of War. All these competitions lead up to the “main event” of the 2025 Pro Bowl Games: a game of flag football with four 12-minute quarters, after which one conference will be declared champion of this year’s Games.
Who are the top players involved?
For the third year running, former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning will be the designated “head coach” of the NFC team — while Eli‘s older brother, fellow NFL icon Peyton Manning, will coach the AFC team.
Buffalo Bills star Josh Allen was selected as the AFC team’s starting quarterback, but he declined the invitation to head for Orlando; the Cincinnati Bengals‘ Joe Burrow is expected to start in Allen‘s place. Over to the NFC side, Detroit Lions signal-caller Jared Goff will start for Eli Manning’s team, with fellow Lions star Jahmyr Gibbs and Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs behind him.
A combined 11 players from the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs were invited to the Pro Bowl Games, but due to their commitment to play Super Bowl LIX next Sunday, these players — including Travis Kelce and Saquon Barkley — have been replaced.