Each New England Patriots teammate's four-pack saw action on the field, resulting in a 41–35 victory for the AFC over their NFC counterparts.
Although Super Bowl LVI is still a week away, Sunday afternoons did feature some NFL football for your viewing pleasure... sort of.
The 2022 NFL Pro Bowl takes place on Sunday afternoon, February 6 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. While rarely known for their games on the field, the sport features some of the league's brightest stars showcasing their talents to their fans in the annual equivalent of the NFL's All-Star Game.
While the recent history of the Pro Bowl has been devoid of participants from the New England Patriots (primarily due to the sheer amount of Super Bowls in which the team has played since 2001), this year's competition includes four of its top performers since 2021. Were. Quarterback Mack Jones, linebacker Matt Juden, cornerback Jesse Jackson and the special teams each saw action on the field, resulting in a 41–35 victory for the AFC over their NFC counterparts.
In case you missed Sunday's Pro Bowl, here's a look at how the Patriots fared on Sunday afternoon.
mac jones
Although Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert was named the game's offensive MVP, Jones may have stolen the show with his dance moves. (More on that in a moment...) Despite being selected for the AFC's starting roster, Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson was cleared as a substitute after Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson was ruled out due to injury. Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen declines his invitation while Joe Burrows of the Cincinnati Bengals prepares for the Super Bowl.
In his first Pro Bowl, Jones performed relatively well. Sharing field with Herbert, as well as Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes Jones, finished the day completing 12-in-16 passes for 112 yards and a touchdown and an interception.
The highlight of Jones Day came at the start of the second half. The Pats rookie led the AFC squad on a 13-play, 95-yard touchdown drive, culminating in a six-yard strike for Las Vegas Raiders receiver Hunter Renfro. Jones scrambled to his right and threw it over his body, finding Renfro behind the endzone for the score. The hometown wideout displayed superb body control in getting both feet into the bottom range.
Still, Jones' afternoon may be best remembered for a swift—touchdown—that wasn't. Late in the second half, Jones broke free on the quarterback scuffle, sprinting 71 yards into the end zone. As he crossed the goal line, Jones flashed an ear-to-ear smile, which proceeded to showcase his dancing skills by inciting the Las Vegas crowd with his version of Griddy. Although the drama erupted when officers got in touch, Jones' personality shining through was one of the highlights of the afternoon.
However, Jones' afternoon was not without fault. The 23-year-old threw an interception. Rarely in the second quarter, Jones attempted a pass to Chiefs tight end Travis Kells, who was stopped by Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trayvon Diggs. Unfortunately for Jones, Sunday wasn't the first time he fell victim to a Diggs-interception. The Cowboys corner picked up their former Alabama teammate in a win over the Pats at Week Six in Dallas, which they returned for a touchdown.
JC jackson
Jackson also made his Pro Bowl debut on Sunday. Pats top cornerback saw a goal-line interception from a drop in fourth place by San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszcic. Jackson was also credited with three tackles, as well as the break-up of a possible touchdown to Cowboys receiver CD Lamb. Overall, the soon-to-be-free agent had a solid day in coverage against some of NFC's most prolific targets.
Matt Judon
Judon led all AFC defenders with 6 tackles, four of which were singles. Although he set a career high in the sacks for the Patriots with a 12.5 in 2021, Judeon was not the picture in the chase on Sunday. Pro Bowl rules require teams to play only a 4–3 defense (without blitzing or nickel/dime packages), therefore, they played most of the day with the ball with Miles Garrett of Cleveland and Max Crosby of Las Vegas. Shore runners. Crosby was named defensive MVP, logging two sacks and three tackles-for-loss.
Matthew Slater
Despite special teams games being few and far between in this game, Slater saw the field in limited action on Sunday, drowning in safety on a few occasions. Slater is no stranger to the defensive backfield. Early in his Patriots tenure, Slater took some occasional photos as a defensive back. Slater was the tallest politician in the Patriots' four-pack to represent the Patriots in the 2021 Pro Bowl. The 36-year-old has been selected as the AFC's Pro Bowl special teamer in 10 of the last 11 seasons.