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NFL Pro Bowl Games: Three takeaways and what they mean ahead of the 2025 season
The third edition of the Pro Bowl Championship wrapped up on Sunday with a flag football game to determine the winner between the AFC and NFC.
Star-studded rosters competed in a high-scoring affair, which saw the NFC emerge as the winners with a 76-63 scoreline in Orlando, Florida.
DAZN News identified three key takeaways from the game and provides insight into what they mean going forward.
Pro Bowl Games MVPs
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff and Minnesota Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. overcame the heartache of their respective team's disappointing postseason losses to win the game's MVP awards.
Goff guided the NFC to victory by completing 10 of 11 passes for 126 yards for three touchdowns, finishing with a perfect 158.3 quarterback rating.
Murphy followed up the best season of his career by coming away with one of the NFC's three interceptions returned for a touchdown.
What it means going forward
The award was an exclamation point on a career year for Goff, who many doubted following his trade from the Los Angeles Rams in 2021.
By proving once again that he belongs among the elite tier, Goff will undoubtedly feel even more confident about his role in the Lions' Super Bowl 2025 aspirations.
With his performance, Murphy dialled up the pressure on the Vikings to address his contract extension this offseason.
Whether he remains in Minnesota or finds a new team elsewhere, Murphy increased his leverage for a sizeable new deal in 2025.
LSU wide receivers dominate
Four former LSU wide receivers combined for eight touchdowns, including triple-crown winner Jamar Chase with three, rookie phenoms Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas, who accounted for two apiece, and Justin Jefferson with one.
What it means going forward
Although the Chase-Higgins partnership may be broken up this offseason, Chase continued to prove he can produce at an elite level regardless of who he plays alongside.
Nabers and Thomas enjoyed incredible rookie campaigns and will undoubtedly gain confidence after continuing to do well against the NFL's best.
Jefferson will be playing with a different quarterback in 2025 if Sam Darnold's contract is not extended. Still, he once again demonstrated why he would remain among the NFL's best wideouts even if J.J. McCarthy replaced Darnold next season.
The Minnesota receiver shared his thoughts on the latest crop of LSU wide receivers taking the league by storm.
The collective performances of former LSU wide receivers in the Pro Bowl Championship will shine the spotlight on Kyren Lacy.
Lacy is viewed as one of the most talented receivers in the 2025 NFL Draft but faces legal issues following his involvement in a fatal car accident in December.
NFC Dominance
This win marks the third consecutive victory for the NFC since the inception of the Pro Bowl Games and reignites the debate about which division is superior.
The NFC's claims are difficult to ignore, considering they have dominated the series in recent years.
However, the AFC may point to how it is impossible to draw conclusions from the outcome of a flag football game where players are not pushing themselves to their limits.
What it means going forward
Purely bragging rights, plain and simple. Some will invest too heavily in what it means, but most understand how far removed the Pro Bowl Championship is from the intensity and competitive nature of the NFL regular and postseason games.
Nevertheless, the argument will again be a hotly contested topic following Super Bowl LIX this weekend.
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