The Pro Bowl has seen a lot of changes over the last few years and for the first time ever will be played in sunny Orlando, Florida this season. That isn’t the only change being made this year though. After three seasons of setting rosters up like schoolyard football and having captains pick teams, the league decided to move back to the traditional AFC vs. NFC format to try to reinvigorate interest. As the top seeds in their conference to not make the Super Bowl, Andy Reid and Jason Garrett will coach their respective conferences in this game.
Don't miss the NFL Pro Bowl from the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, January 29, 2017. Catch every moment of the game live on ESPN.
NFL Pro Bowl Odds at BookMaker.eu
Replacements
The biggest problem the NFL has had recently in this game is how few stars decide to play in it. While everyone understands that Super Bowl participants will take this game off since it was moved to the week before the championship, the main issue is how many players just don’t want to play in the game anymore and cite injury. More than 30 players selected to represent their conference will not be playing in this game and with that much change, the scramble to replace them in the week prior to the game is intense.
Reid and Garrett have been making alterations to their rosters throughout Monday and that means there will be very limited practice time before the game for both sides. Although this is an exhibition where no one wants to go all out or get hurt, the lack of practice may be an advantage for the defense. Last year’s game ended up going over the total, but in the previous two seasons the game didn’t come close to finishing north of the over/under.
The Coaches
This is Andy Reid’s sixth appearance as a Pro Bowl head coach and his teams are 2-3 all-time. In his five previous games at the helm of a side, only once has his team scored more than 30 points. This is another sign that points to the under, especially with the lack of talented quarterbacks at his disposal. Reid has never coached the AFC in the Pro Bowl before, but should have a decent knowledge of the talent he was working with after four seasons of being Kansas City’s head coach.
Jason Garrett has only coached in this game once before, back in 2015, and his team ended up knocking off John Harbaugh’s team 32-28. Back then he was part of Team Irvin, but this will be his first time coaching an all NFC squad.
What To Watch For
For continuity’s sake, it’s good news that both these coaches are going to have their starting quarterbacks available for this game. Alex Smith is the best quarterback available in the AFC with Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Derek Carr, and Tyrod Taylor all sitting out this one. Smith should see plenty of action in this game as a result and has familiar faces to throw the ball to in Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill.
However, what Smith has pales in comparison to what Dak Prescott will have available. The Dallas Cowboys had three offensive lineman and Ezekiel Elliott selected to the Pro Bowl along with Prescott and now will have Dez Bryant available as well following his replacement of Julio Jones. It’s rare that a team places that many players on the Pro Bowl and rarer still when all decide to play, and that familiarity should lead to a lot of points from the NFC.
Although a lot of these exhibition games are coin-flips, don’t be surprised if the NFC blew the AFC out of the water here. The Dallas players may want to show a little extra something after their early exit from the postseason and the NFC quarterbacks are significantly better than their AFC counterparts.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go.
Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
