’23 Pro Bowl Challenges, Which Include Dodgeball, Golf, And Water Balloons, Met With Mixed Reaction

NFL fans aren’t sure what to think of the new Pro Bowl skills challenges, which were released on Wednesday. The games will include a water balloon toss, a longest drive contest, dodgeball, and more.

An emphasis has been taken off the actual football game, which will consist of a flag football competition for the first time in 2023. Ratings for the Pro Bowl weekend have been in decline, and the league is looking for ways to draw interest from viewers.

In the past, we saw skills competitions like longest pass and 40-yard dash, you know, things that relate to the sport of football. This year, though, we’ll see a new twist on the event. Details of the skills games were released on the NFL website this week. Here’s what fans can expect to see.

Day 1:

• Epic Pro Bowl Dodgeball: A multi-round tournament of classic dodgeball featuring four teams of five players that begins with the offenses and defenses from both conferences squaring off and culminates in an AFC vs. NFC showdown.
• Lightning Round: In the first event, “Lightning Round — Splash Catch,” teammate pairings from each conference will toss water balloons back and forth from increasing distances… In part two, “Lightning Round — High Stakes,” advancing players will attempt to catch punts from a JUGS machine to earn a place representing their conference in the final round of the competition. In the final part of the challenge, “Lightning Round — Thrill of the Spill,” the remaining players from each conference will aim at targets attached to a bucket hanging above the head of an opposing conference’s coach. The first team to dump the bucket on the opposing coach wins and earns three points for his conference.
• Longest Drive: Four players from each conference will compete in a challenge to drive a golf ball the furthest distance off a tee.
• Precision Passing presented by EA SPORTS Madden NFL 23 Mobile: Each of the conference’s three quarterbacks will battle it out in a one-minute accuracy competition.
• Best Catch presented by Uber Eats: Two players from each conference will compete in a best catch competition, showing off their creativity, inventiveness and talent.

Day 2:

• Best Catch presented by Uber Eats (Finale): On Sunday, the top vote getters from each conference will compete head-to-head, as they perform in front of panel of celebrity judges.
• Gridiron Gauntlet: A side-by-side relay race showcasing strength, speed and agility, six players from each conference will compete to see who finishes first and wins three points for his team. The four-part Gauntlet, each segment 40-yards in length, includes a series of breakaway walls, a section of climbing over walls and under tables, a tire run and a blocking sled carrying a Legend coach across the finish line.
• Kick Tac Toe: Each team’s kicker, punter and long snapper compete in a giant Tic-Tac-Toe competition to showcase their respective skills.
• Move The Chains: Four teams (two teams from each conference) will compete side by side in a weighted wall pull that will showcase their strength, speed and ingenuity. Each team of five players is responsible for pulling a wall, loaded up with heavy weights, 10-yards as quickly as possible using first-down chains.

The challenges will be scored, and those tallies will have an impact on the flag football competitions to end the weekend.

Some of the games sound like a blast for players and fans. Kick Tac Toe, Precision Passing, and Gridiron Gauntlet put new spins on old classics.

Others, though, seem unnecessary for a football weekend. The reaction on social media was mixed.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network said, “This is tremendous… I can’t wait to tell my kids when they get home from school that NFL players will play all their games.”

Others agreed. One fan wrote, “NFL got it right finally can’t wait. Will be a big event worth watching again,” while another commented, “This might actually be good.”

There were also those that disagreed.

Someone in opposition of the 2023 Pro Bowl games said, “This is embarrassing for the NFL,” while others wanted to see some of the old competitions return.

Sounds kind of corny, honestly. I would probably tune in if they did the old stuff like NFL fastest man, who can throw the farthest, bench the most, etc. I really don’t care about who can drive a golf ball the furthest.

We’ll see if the new competitions boost the ratings.

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