The rosters for the 2018 Pro Bowl were announced on Tuesday night, and it took no time for people to get mad about players who were snubbed.
Who was the biggest snub in the 2018 NFL Pro Bowl?
These were the most notable players who were left off this year’s Pro Bowl rosters.
Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images
Jeanna Kelley has been covering the Falcons for The Falcoholic since 2011 and the NFL for SB Nation since 2015.
It happens every year. Players who deserve a Pro Bowl nod get left out of this glorified popularity contest. That’s mainly because Pro Bowl voting is a deeply flawed process.
The rosters are built based on votes from fans, coaches, and players, which are all weighted equally. That leads to players being voted in because they play on good teams or because they had plenty of fan support. It leaves other deserving stars on the sideline.
Last year’s biggest snub was arguably Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, who set a new record for fourth-quarter comebacks and led the Lions to the playoffs. Stafford is back on our list of snubs for this year.
On defense, Giants defensive tackle Damon “Snacks” Harrison missed out last season, and he was also left off the list this year, despite leading the league in run stops for the fourth time in his six-year career, according to Pro Football Focus.
Here are the most notable Pro Bowl snubs for the 2017 season.
Matthew Stafford, QB, Detroit Lions
Stafford is third in the league, behind Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger, for passing yards with 3,920, plus 25 touchdowns against nine picks. That means he’s thrown for more yards than any other NFC quarterback, including this year’s Pro Bowlers, Carson Wentz, Drew Brees, and Russell Wilson.
Early in the season, it looked like Smith would be a shoo-in for the Pro Bowl. He got left out in favor of Brady, Roethlisberger, and Philip Rivers. But Smith has thrown 25 touchdowns and just five picks this season, and he has the highest quarterback rating of any signal caller who’s had significant playing time — including the guys who beat him out for the Pro Bowl.
The rookie has missed some time this season due to injury, but he’s averaged 83.9 yards per game over 11 games, and he’s got eight touchdowns. He’s also got 213 receiving yards and a touchdown catch. Fournette’s per-game average puts him in front of Pro Bowlers LeSean McCoy and Mark Ingram.
The Bears running back has more rushing yards than Pro Bowl selections Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram. Ingram and Kamara are both deserving backs. It’s just a shame that Howard, who’s one of the few bright spots in another bad Bears season, can’t get a nod, too.
The Falcons’ Alex Mack and Cowboys’ Travis Frederick are two of the league’s best centers for sure. But the Eagles’ Jason Kelce is absolutely on their level. He’s been the anchor of a line that’s paved the way for the NFL’s second-best rushing and scoring offense this season.
The Ravens’ kicker is one of the best in the league. He has fewer attempts than the Steelers’ Chris Boswell, and he has a 91 percent conversion rate compared to Boswell’s 92 percent. But Tucker is tied for the longest field goal in the league this season with a 57-yarder.
Adrian Clayborn, DE, Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons defensive end is tied for 16th in the league this season with 9.5 sacks. That may not scream, “Hey, this guy got snubbed,” until you consider that six of those sacks came in a single game against the Cowboys in Week 10. That’s the most sacks any single player has landed in one game this year. And only three other players — Osi Umenyiora, Fred Dean, and Derrick Thomas — have pulled that off in league history.
Damon Harrison, DT, New York Giants
Poor Snacks. Snubbed again. Harrison is the heart of the Giants defense. He’s a 341-pound dude who has 66 tackles, 1.5 sacks, three pass breakups, and a pick this season. The guys who made it — Fletcher Cox, Aaron Donald, and Gerald McCoy — are all great. But year after year, Harrison deserves consideration and he gets overlooked.
These aren’t the only players who deserved a Pro Bowl bid and got passed over. Which players do you think are this year’s biggest snubs?
The Pro Bowl Skills Showdown was a big hit last season
See More:
