Tua Tagovailoa’s Pro Bowl roster leads despite having the most fan votes

The 2023 NFL Pro Bowl rosters are here, and a couple of very big names didn’t make it.

Before we get into that, it should be noted that this year’s Pro Bowl will be very different from previous editions. For example, there will no longer be a traditional game. The league replaced this with a week of skills competition that concludes with a game of flag football with the players.

Well, now to adultery. A few were the odd exceptions, given how well these players fared in the fan vote (which accounts for a third of the decision-making process) and how some seemed to be left out despite almost stellar performances on the court.

Here are six notable bouts:

The Dolphins quarterback led the league in fan voting prior to team selection, with 306,861 votes on Monday. That beat out Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who were both named starters.

But Tagovailoa has missed three games this year due to a concussion, which has weighed on his stats compared to those of the two quarterbacks who made it to the AFC roster: Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen and Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow. Tagovailoa actually has a better competition percentage than Allen, a better quarterback rating than both of them and fewer interceptions than both, but has slightly fewer yards per game.

Similar to Tagovailoa, this is a case of having too many good players in the same position in the AFC. Although a Very sarcastic video Chargers social media team Ekeler lost the Pro Bowl nod to Nick Chubb of the Cleveland Browns, Josh Jacobs of the Las Vegas Raiders and Derrick Henry of the Tennessee Titans.

Ekeler finished with nearly half as many rushing yards as these three but only slightly fewer touchdowns. Ekeler dominated as a pass-catcher, with twice as many receptions as Jacobs and more than three times as many as Chubb and Henry. He also nearly doubled Henry and Jacobs in receiving yards and five touchdown catches with none among the other three. I guess it’s a matter of opinion as to whether that makes him run better.

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Another casualty of his position, McCaffrey was not named to the NFC Pro Bowl team, despite averaging 110.7 scrimmage yards per game and currently ranks third in scrimmage yards this season. The New York Giants beat Saquon Barkley, Tony Pollard of the Dallas Cowboys, and Miles Sanders of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Barkley makes sense — he’s right behind McCaffrey in scrimmage yards and over 200 yards forward in rushing yards — but McCaffrey has 42 fewer yards than Pollard and 313 more. Sanders is having a career year on the ground and is fifth in rushing touchdowns and rushing yards. McCaffrey is simply one of the most dynamic players in the NFL, even after switching teams mid-season.

Brown has been out for some time with an ankle injury but is still one of the best pure receivers in the NFL. The sophomore St. Brown probably never beat Justin Jefferson or AJ Brown, but he did have a case against Terry McLaurin and Sir Lamb. St. Brown has more receptions than both, the same number of touchdowns as Lamb, twice as many McLaurin and slightly fewer receiving yards than both. All three are great receivers in their own right, but Saint Brown may not be a household name just yet.

It was impressive for both Dolphins receivers to make the Pro Bowl, but unfortunately, Waddle was left out despite ranking sixth in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. The four players who made the list – Tyrek Hill, Stephon Diggs, Davante Adams and Jamar Chase – are arguably the four best players in their positions in the AFC, but statistically, Waddell should be included on that list.

Highsmith is tied for seventh in the NFL with 11 sacks this season but failed to get a Pro Bowl. Pass tackle Matt Goodon of the New England Patriots was rightfully on the list as the NFL’s sack leader, and Los Angeles Chargers’ Khalil Mack has seven sacks and 10 quarterback hits, but Highsmith probably deserves the spot over teammate TJ Watt, who is great. On his own it’s true but he’s missed seven games this season.