The 2017 Pro Bowl (branded as the 2017 Pro Bowl presented by Aquafina for sponsorship reasons) was the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

all-star game An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or d ...

for the 2016 season, which was played at

Camping World Stadium Camping World Stadium is a stadium in Orlando, Florida, located in the West Lakes neighborhood of Downtown Orlando, west of new sports and entertainment facilities including the Amway Center, the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, ...

in Orlando, Florida, on January 29, 2017. The game was the first in a three-year deal to host the Pro Bowl in Orlando, which also included cross-promotional events (such as a newly established skills competition) held at the

Walt Disney World Resort The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, ...

(which is owned by the primary parent company of the game's broadcaster,

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

). After three years of using a draft format, the 2017 Pro Bowl returned to the previous conference-based format, played between all-star teams representing the American Football Conference and

National Football Conference The National Football Conference (NFC) is one of the two conferences of the National Football League (NFL), the highest professional level of American football in the United States. The NFC and its counterpart, the American Football Conference ...

. The AFC all-stars were coached by

Andy Reid Andrew Walter Reid (born March 19, 1958) is an American football coach who is the head coach for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). Reid was previously head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1999 to 2012. From 200 ...

, and the NFC all-stars were coached by Jason Garrett.

Background

Host selection process

At least five locations were in contention to host the 2017 Pro Bowl, with four submitting formal bids.Soshnick, Scott (May 19, 2016)
The NFL Pro Bowl Is Moving to Orlando
''Bloomberg.'' Retrieved May 19, 2016. *

Aloha Stadium Aloha Stadium is a closed multi-purpose stadium located in Halawa, Hawaii, a western suburb of Honolulu (though with a Honolulu address). It is the largest stadium in the state of Hawaii. , the stadium ceased fan-attended operations indefinitely ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only ...

, the site of the Pro Bowl from 1980 to 2009, 2011–2014, and 2016. *

NRG Stadium NRG Stadium, formerly Reliant Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Houston, Texas, United States. Construction was completed in 2002, at a cost of $352 million and has a seating capacity of 72,220. It was the first NFL facility to have a retrac ...

in Houston, Texas, the site of

Super Bowl LI Super Bowl LI was an American football game played at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, on February 5, 2017, to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2016 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Ne ...

. *

in Orlando, Florida, where Pro Bowl rightsholder

has

operations Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, ...

. *An unidentified stadium in Sydney,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia. *

Maracanã Stadium Maracanã Stadium ( pt, Estádio do Maracanã, standard Brazilian Portuguese: , local pronunciation: ), officially named Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho (), is an association football stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The stadium is part o ...

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of the same name, Brazil's List of Brazilian states by population, third-most populous state, and the List of largest citi ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. The stadium, which had recently been renovated for the

2014 FIFA World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting rig ...

and 2016 Summer Olympics, was discussed as a potential hosting site for the event, but Brazil ultimately declined to place a bid. On June 1, 2016, the NFL announced that it had awarded the next three Pro Bowl games to Orlando.

Side events

Commissioner Roger Goodell announced that the 2017 Pro Bowl would be a "week-long celebration for football and our fans"; a number of family-oriented side events was held at the

and its

ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex The ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is a multi-purpose sports complex located in the Walt Disney World Resort, in Bay Lake, Florida, United States, near Orlando. The complex includes nine venues and hosts numerous professional and amat ...

, including practices, a 5K run, youth events, and player appearances. On December 12, 2016, the NFL announced that it would hold a series of skills competitions during Pro Bowl week at the Wide World of Sports Complex, known as the ''Pro Bowl Skills Showdown''.

Game format

On June 1, 2016, the NFL confirmed that the Pro Bowl would return to its previous, conference-based format for 2017, after three years of using a draft-based format with players selected by designated captains. The captains were former NFL players

Jerome Bettis Jerome Abram Bettis Sr. (born February 16, 1972) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Nicknamed "the Bus" for his large size and run ...

Tony Gonzalez Anthony David Gonzalez (born February 27, 1976) is an American former football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Regarded as one of the greatest tight ends of all time, he is the NFL's all-time leader ...

Ray Lewis Raymond Anthony Lewis Jr. (born May 15, 1975) is an American former professional football player who played as a middle linebacker with the Baltimore Ravens for his entire 17-year career in the National Football League (NFL). He played col ...

, and Charles Woodson.

Rule changes

The game format was nearly the same for 2017 as it had been in 2016, with some exceptions: *Forty-four players were assigned to each team, up from 43 in 2016 (a regular game-day active roster has 46). *The two-minute warning that was given in the first and third quarters (in addition to the second and fourth quarters) in previous years was eliminated, and the ball did not change hands after the first and third quarters. *The coin toss determined which team was awarded possession first. There were no kickoffs; the ball was placed on the 25-yard line at the start of each half and after scoring plays. *Defenses were now permitted to play cover two and press coverage. Prior to

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, only man coverage was allowed, except for goal line situations. *A 38-second/25-second play clock was used instead of the usual 40-second/25-second clock, and up from 35-second/25-second clock in 2016. *Replay reviews will be allowed; previously there was replay in the Pro Bowl only when new equipment tests were being conducted. *There are no intentional grounding rules. *Only defensive ends and tackles may rush on passing plays, but those must be on the same side of the ball. The defense is not permitted to blitz. *All blindside blocks and blocks below the waist are illegal. *A tight end and running back must be in every formation. *No more than two wide receivers on either side of the ball. *Deep middle safety must be aligned inside the hash marks.

Summary

Box score

AFC rosters

The following players were selected to represent the AFC:

Offense

Defense

Special teams

NFC rosters

The following players were selected to represent the NFC:

Offense

Defense

Special teams

Notes: :bold player who participated in game :Replacement selection due to injury or vacancy :Injured player; selected but will not play :Replacement starter; selected as reserve :Selected but did not play because his team advanced to

''(see Pro Bowl "Player Selection" section)'' :Players must have accepted their invitations as alternates to be listed; those who declined, such as Tyrod Taylor, are not considered Pro Bowlers

Number of selections per team

Broadcasting

The game was televised nationally by

and broadcast via radio by

Westwood One Westwood One is an American radio network owned by Cumulus Media. The company syndicates talk, music, and sports programming. The company takes its name from an earlier network also named Westwood One, a company founded in 1978. The company w ...

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pro Bowl

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2016 National Football League season 2017 in American football 2017 in sports in Florida 2010s in Orlando, Florida American football in Orlando, Florida January 2017 sports events in the United States Sports competitions in Orlando, Florida