Murray, Hopkins, Baker get Pro Bowl Nod
Led by their star quarterbacks, the Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers each had seven players selected to the Pro Bowl.
The Baltimore Ravens also had seven players chosen.
Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes joins Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Houston’s Deshaun Watson as the AFC quarterbacks. For the NFC, it’s Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers, Seattle’s Russell Wilson and Arizona’s Kyler Murray.
Mahomes and Rodgers are the starters, though there will be no actual game this season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. On Jan. 31, the players will be celebrated during two Pro Bowl-themed shows airing on an ESPN/ABC simulcast, with a virtual Pro Bowl experience within the Madden NFL 21 video game.
Roster selections were determined by votes of players, coaches and fans.
The other Chiefs are DE Frank Clark, OT Eric Fisher, WR Tyreek Hill, DT Chris Jones, TE Travis Kelce and SS Tyrann Mathieu.
Baltimore has OT Orlando Brown, DT Calais Campbell, LS Morgan Cox, CB Marlon Humphrey, LB Matthew Judon, FB Patrick Ricard and K Justin Tucker.
“After everything that this year has been like, it’s a real blessing to be back in this position again. To still be playing football — and at a high level — and to be voted in by my peers and coaches, it really means a lot. This is an honor I really appreciate as a player,” Brown said.
For Green Bay, the other six representatives are WR Davante Adams, CB Jaire Alexander, OT David Bakhtiari, G Elgton Jenkins, RB Aaron Jones and LB Za’Darius Smith.
Seattle has SS Jamal Adams, special teamer Nick Bellore, FS Quandre Diggs, WR DK Metcalf, LS Tyler Ott and LB Bobby Wagner.
Other notable selections include Titans running back Derrick Henry, the NFL’s leading rusher, and highly productive receivers Keenan Allen of the Chargers and Stefon Diggs of the Bills for the AFC’s offense. On defense, linebackers T.J. Watt of Pittsburgh and Darius Leonard of Indianapolis, Miami ball-hawking cornerback Xavien Howard and Cleveland end Myles Garrett made the squad.
Broncos outside linebacker Bradley Chubb cried during a Zoom call after being selected as a Pro Bowl starter as he reflected on his journey back from a torn ACL that sidelined him for most of 2019.
“Just to get the accolade is huge,” Chubb said. “I’m sorry for getting emotional, I just went through a lot this year. But this sure feels good.”
Chubb ranks fourth in the NFL with 7½ sacks and has 19 QB hits, nine tackles for loss and a forced fumble after missing 12 games last year and tweaking his surgically repaired knee during a stadium scrimmage last summer.
For the NFC, such standouts as Arizona wideout DeAndre Hopkins, Minnesota running back Dalvin Cook, New Orleans RB Alvin Kamara and Philadelphia center Jason Kelce made it. So did New Orleans DE Cameron Jordan, Los Angeles Rams DT Aaron Donald, San Francisco LB Fred Warner, Rams CB Jalen Ramsey and Arizona SS Budda Baker.
Washington rookie DE Chase Young made the NFC squad, as did another 2020 first-round draft pick, Minnesota WR Justin Jefferson.
In all, there were 26 first-time Pro Bowlers.
Five teams have no Pro Bowl players: the Jaguars, Jets, Bengals, Cowboys and Panthers.
