
- Pro Bowl to Air on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and Simulcast on ABC
- Matt Hasselbeck and Louis Riddick Join Sean McDonough, Lisa Salters on Pro Bowl Telecast
- NFL Skills Showdown from ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex Airs Thursday, 9 p.m. ET
ESPN will present the 2018 NFL Pro Bowl on Sunday, Jan. 28, at 2:50 p.m. ET from Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla. The telecast will be available on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, the ESPN App and simulcast on ABC. The company’s multi-day Pro Bowl event coverage includes the second annual Skills Showdown, reports from team practices, and more.
Top players expected to participate in the Pro Bowl include quarterbacks Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints) and Derek Carr (Raiders), running backs Todd Gurley (Rams) and Le’Veon Bell (Steelers) and wide receivers Antonio Brown (Steelers) and Jarvis Landry (Dolphins) in the traditional AFC vs. NFC format.
ESPN Monday Night Football voice Sean McDonough will call the Pro Bowl with analyst Matt Hasselbeck, field analyst Louis Riddick and reporter Lisa Salters. This is the 14th time ESPN has televised the Pro Bowl – 1988-94, 2004-06, 2010 and 2015-17. The game also aired on ABC from 1975-87 and 1995-03.
Suzy Kolber will host a special Postseason NFL Countdown pregame show (1 p.m., ESPN and ABC) from Camping World Stadium leading into the Pro Bowl with analysts Randy Moss and Charles Woodson, and NFL Insider Adam Schefter. Reporter Michele Steele will also contribute to coverage from the stadium.
ESPN Deportes will provide exclusive Spanish-language coverage of the Pro Bowl, beginning at 1 p.m. ET with a special edition of SportsCenter, followed by the game telecast at 2:50 p.m. with play-by-play voice Eduardo Varela and analyst Pablo Viruega.
Pro Bowl Skills Showdown – Thursday, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN:
For the second year, ESPN will televise the NFL Pro Bowl Skills Showdown on Thursday, Jan. 25 (9 p.m. ET). The event will also re-air across ESPN, ABC and Disney XD. Sean McDonough, Matt Hasselbeck and Lisa Salters will call the competition at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, which features Pro Bowlers competing in multiple events:
- Epic Pro Bowl Dodgeball: Pro Bowlers will compete in a game of dodgeball.
- Kick-Tac-Toe: A new challenge that tests the accuracy of placekickers from both conferences with a version of the classic game, as they attempt to hit a 3×3 grid of targets inside the uprights.
- Gridiron Gauntlet: Five players from each team will participate in a relay race designed to showcase strength, speed, and agility. The challenge will include a 40-yard dash with an inflated parachute that is attached to the first player on each team who will sprint before tagging in teammates.
- Precision Passing: Each conference’s quarterbacks battle in an accuracy competition as they attempt to hit targets of varying size and distance.
- Best Hands: Four receivers – two from each conference – will catch a series of passes at a sequence of downfield targets as quickly as possible. Designated targets require a specific style of catch – diving, one-handed, over the shoulder, etc. – which must be executed before the receiver can move on to the next target.
- Drone Drop: One player from each team will attempt to catch footballs dropped from drones from increasing heights above the field. The player who makes the highest catch wins money for the charity of his choice.
SportsCenter and NFL Live:
Beginning Wed., Jan. 24, Michele Steele will have reports and interviews with players on SportsCenter throughout the week from Pro Bowl practices at ESPN Wide World of Sports. ESPN NFL Nation team reporters Jeremy Fowler (Steelers), Jenna Laine (Buccaneers) and Mike DiRocco (Jaguars) will also cover the AFC and NFC team practices. Wendi Nix will host SportsCenter and NFL Live segments on Thursday and Friday (Jan. 25-26) from the practices with Darren Woodson and reporter Jac Collinsworth.
Other Pro Bowl Programming:
The Boys’ 13- to 14-year-old Championship Game of the NFL FLAG Championships will be part of the Postseason NFL Countdown Pro Bowl pregame show on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ABC on Sun., Jan. 28.
ESPN Social
ESPN social will be on-site for the week of Pro Bowl events, providing behind-the-scenes content with players via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, including video of Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy and New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara visiting the Walt Disney World theme parks.
ESPN International
ESPN International and its affiliated networks will present the Pro Bowl live to more than 69 million households in 74 countries and territories throughout Spanish-speaking Latin America, Brazil, the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands, Canada, the Philippines and Sub Saharan Africa. Commentary and analysis is provided in four languages — English, French, Portuguese and Spanish.
ESPN Programs at 2018 NFL Pro Bowl:
DATE | TIME (ET) | SHOW & COMMENTATORS | NETWORK(S) |
Wed,
Jan 24 |
7 a.m. – 3 p.m. | SportsCenter and NFL Live *
(Pro Bowl practices – ESPN Wide World of Sports) Michele Steele reports |
ESPN/ESPN2 |
Thurs,
Jan 25 |
7 a.m. – 3 p.m. | SportsCenter and NFL Live *
(Pro Bowl practices – ESPN Wide World of Sports) Wendi Nix, Darren Woodson, Jac Collinsworth and Steele |
ESPN/ESPN2 |
9 p.m. | Pro Bowl Skills Showdown
(ESPN’s Wide World of Sports) Sean McDonough, Matt Hasselbeck and Lisa Salters |
ESPN | |
Fri,
Jan 26 |
7 a.m. – 3 p.m. | SportsCenter and NFL Live *
(Pro Bowl practices – ESPN Wide World of Sports) Nix, Woodson, Collinsworth and Steele |
ESPN/ESPN2 |
Sat,
Jan 27 |
7-11 a.m. | SportsCenter *
(Pro Bowl practices – ESPN Wide World of Sports) Steele |
ESPN
|
Sun,
Jan 28 |
6:30 a.m. –
12 p.m.
|
SportsCenter *
(Pro Bowl – Camping World Stadium) Steele |
ESPN |
1-2:50 p.m. | Postseason NFL Countdown
(Camping World Stadium) Suzy Kolber, Randy Moss, Charles Woodson, Adam Schefter and Steele |
ESPN
ABC |
|
2:50 p.m. | NFL Pro Bowl
(Camping World Stadium) McDonough, Hasselbeck, Riddick and Salters |
ESPN
ESPN Deportes ABC |
* show segments
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