2017 NFL Pro Bowl: Skills Showdown recap

For a league that has often been criticized for being the No Fun League, the NFL was anything but on Thursday with the return of the Skills Competition to the Pro Bowl, now going by the Skills Showdown. The event was held on Wednesday and aired Thursday night, to glowing reviews and was considered a success by many.

After years of not being taken seriously and slumping interest due to a lack of competition, it was clear the Pro Bowl was in need of a change. Ten years removed, the Skills Showdown has been brought back to inject the league’s all-star event with the competitive spirit it once enjoyed; and it worked. The event helped return fan’s and player’s interest and attention back to the Pro Bowl.

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The Skills Showdown pitted twenty of the AFC’s and NFC’s best players against one another in five separate events — a best hands, power relay, drone drop and precision passing challenge along with a dodgeball game.

Each team included a ten-man roster with the AFC represented by Jay Ajayi, Geno Atkins, Andy Dalton, Chris Harris Jr., TY Hilton, Jarvis Landry, Von Miller, Philip Rivers, Alex Smith and Joe Thomas.

The ten-man NFC roster consisted of Odell Beckham Jr., Drew Brees, Kirk Cousins, Thomas Davis, Ezekiel Elliott, Mike Evans, Jason Kelce, Gerald McCoy, Patrick Peterson and Dak Prescott.

Members from both teams squared off in several events, competing for the pride of being the best in the league.

Best Hands Challenge

In an event that has often been compared to basketball’s Around the World game, players caught passes in a variety of different ways around a perimeter, including a two-handed sideline grab, a one-handed catch and over-the-back receptions.

Beckham Jr. and Landry — known for their spectacular hands and one-handed catches — enjoyed the most success. The two former LSU teammates battled back-and-forth, with Landry beating out Beckham by just 0.2 seconds. The event ended with Beckham tackling Landry, celebrating in competitive fashion.

Landry put the AFC up by one after the first event.

Power Relay Challenge

This event consisted of a lifting, pushing and smashing competition. In the lift portion, players hoisted a 250 pound wall. For the push section, three players drove a 700 pound sled, moving it across the field. The event ended with a running back smashing through a block wall. The challenge gave fans an idea of the strength and speed it takes to compete in the NFL.

With the NFC finishing ahead of the AFC, it was all tied-up through two events.

Drone Drop Challenge

In this new event, players caught balls dropped from heights of up to 125 feet in the air. Fans were wowed by the spectacular camera angles and the exciting grabs, especially those from Beckham.

Beckham got his revenge after losing to Landry in the Best Hands Competition, giving the NFC a 2-1 lead over the AFC, after three events.

Precision Passing Challenge

This challenge featured targets ranging in value, from one to five points. The targets increased in value the further away they were — some were spinning, some were swaying back-and-forth and some were moving side-to-side. When hit, balls would break through the paper targets followed by an emission of smoke from below.

In a tight race, Rivers came away with the highest point total and the win for the AFC, knotting things up at 2-2, with only one event to go.

Dodgeball Competition

In addition to the Drone Drop Challenge, the Dodgeball Competition was new to the Skills Showdown. The dodgeball game was the most anticipated event of the challenge and provided the greatest excitement of the competition. With the NFC making quick work of the AFC, only Hilton remained as he found himself outgunned, in a five versus one battle.

Hilton was unable to hold off the attack, as the NFC won, receiving three points for the victory and the Skills Showdown Title.

The Skills Showdown has been the highlight of the Pro Bowl thus far and could very well end up being the favorite event of the week. It certainly captured fan attention and had them talking about the excitement it brought to the festivities. As of now, it looks like a sure bet to return to the Pro Bowl next year and should be here to stay.

Fans had been begging for more and they got it. The NFL hit a homerun with the competition and it makes one wonder why the event disappeared from the Pro Bowl in the first place. The Showdown was an enjoyable and entertaining event that brought fan and player interest back to the Pro Bowl and its festivities. It’s not often fans get to see the best players in football compete against one another in such a manner. The Skills Showdown delivered much needed amusement and competition to a culture that has been criticised for lacking in fun and imagination.

– Miles Dittberner, is the National Editor of cover32 and also covers the Minnesota Vikings. Like and follow on Facebook and Twitter.

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