NFL Pro Bowl 2023 featured the best players from the AFC and NFC conferences as they came together to take part in the reimagined games. The centerpiece of the entire event was the interconference flag football game, coached by Peyton Manning and Eli Manning. Peyton took over the AFC while Eli Manning took over the NFC.
The game itself was divided into three parts, with each of the first two parts contributing six points to the team’s total. The skill challenges were valued at three points each. Before the final part of the game, the total points of all of them were added together and that became the starting score for the final game. Whoever wins it will be crowned Pro Bowl winner.
As it happened, the AFC went into the final game leading the NFC 21-15. But some clever play by Eli Manning and his team ultimately saw them win the game 35-33.
NFL Pro Bowl 2023: individual event scores
The 2023 NFL Pro Bowl had events on Thursday and Sunday. Thursday featured four skill challenges worth three points each. The AFC won three of them to just one for the NFC, meaning they went into the weekend winning 9-3.
That six-point gap would hold steady throughout Sunday before the final game. The NFC and AFC each won two skills challenges, out of four total over the weekend as well. While it was an improvement, that in and of itself was not enough to make up the deficit. With six points for both conferences, the final score based on skills challenges was 15-9 in favor of the AFC.
The first two flag football games, worth six points each, also ended in draws. The first game was won by the NFC, but the AFC won the next one. Game scores are given in the order in which they are played. They each scored six conference points, meaning that going into the final game, the scores were 21-15 in favor of the AFC.
game 1
game 2
It was the position they entered the last flag football game to determine the Pro Bowl winner. But the NFC made up the deficit by outscoring the AFC in both halves. They won the first half of the final game 13-6 and shadowed the second half 7-6. The AFC outscored the NFC by eight points when they had to make up just six.
That led to a final score of 35-33 in favor of the NFC, which was crowned the 2023 NFL Pro Bowl champion.