AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn
We’ll have to wait a few days to see whether the NFC can defeat the AFC on the football field.
When it comes to on-field skills, though, there’s no question the NFC is the superior conference in 2022.
The NFC won four of the five games in the 2022 Pro Bowl Skills Challenge for an impressive victory filled with jaw-dropping accurate passing, scintillating catches and some brilliant dodgeball skills by Justin Jefferson.
Yes, dodgeball.
The champion of the competition came down to the annual dodgeball game, with Jefferson and Nick Chubb being the final two from their respective sides. Jefferson won the game with a one-handed catch moving to his left when Chubb tried to fire a ball in for elimination.
ESPN @espn
Justin Jefferson: DODGEBALL KING 😤 👑 @JJettas2 pic.twitter.com/rTY9UrmVVF
The ending was appropriate given what was a dominant effort from the NFC.
Russell Wilson got the night off to a strong start with a 29-point effort in the Precision Passing competition, more than tripling the score put up by Hunter Renfrow (one point) and Mac Jones (eight points) by himself. Jefferson was Wilson’s teammate in name only given he was unable to hit a single target.
NFL @NFL
Russell Wilson puts up 29 POINTS. A precision passing record! @DangeRussWilson 🎯
📺: #ProBowlSkills Showdown on ESPN pic.twitter.com/VmidDvJk8l
The biggest surprise of the night came when a shirtless Micah Parsons outraced Chubb, Tyreek Hill and teammate Trevon Diggs in a 40-yard dash. Hill, the self-proclaimed fastest man alive, stumbled out of the gate and wound up bringing up the rear of the field.
NFL @NFL
MICAH PARSONS WINS THE FASTEST MAN RACE. @MicahhParsons11 @NFLALLDAY
📺: #ProBowlSkills Showdown on ESPN pic.twitter.com/sdm1BQ7Ati
The Kansas City Chiefs wideout also came up short in the Best Catch competition when he was the only player to not have a catch that received a score of 100 from the judges. Hill’s second attempt fell short when he was unable to pull off a windmill dunk through his son’s arms after catching a pass while jumping off a trampoline.
NFL @NFL
Tyreek brought out the Cheetah coat for the Best Catch challenge
📺: #ProBowlSkills Showdown on ESPN pic.twitter.com/bZq9iRsjEM
Yes, you read every word of that sentence correctly.
That competition also featured Stefon Diggs jumping off a truck and catching a pass through a table, Jefferson jumping over a mascot and catching a ball while having another ball in his hand and Trevon Diggs making a catch mid-flip off a trampoline.
NFL @NFL
STEFON DIGGS JUMPS THROUGH A TABLE 😭 @stefondiggs
📺: #ProBowlSkills Showdown on ESPN pic.twitter.com/rxgQFbbk4R
NFL @NFL
.@TrevonDiggs just won the Best Catch competition with this front flip grab!
📺: #ProBowlSkills Showdown on ESPN pic.twitter.com/Sq1Cfd3YS0
The lone win of the AFC came in the Thread the Needle competition, when Mac Jones eeked out 12 points against Trevon Diggs and Darius Slay to Kirk Cousins’ 11 points against Derwin James and Denzel Ward.
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism