Patriots' Tom Brady ties NFL record with 14th Pro Bowl selection
The New England Patriots' Tom Brady tied an NFL record with his 14th Pro Bowl selection Tuesday night, while breakout stars such as Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, New York Giants rookie running back Saquon Barkley and undrafted Denver Broncos rookie running back Phillip Lindsay earned their first selections.
Brady joined Peyton Manning, Tony Gonzalez, Bruce Matthews and Merlin Olsen as the only five players with 14 Pro Bowl selections. But the Patriots had only two players selected to the Jan. 27 game in Orlando, Florida, with cornerback Stephon Gilmore joining Brady.
The surging Los Angeles Chargers, meanwhile, led all teams with seven Pro Bowl selections, continuing their hot streak after Thursday night's win over the division-rival Chiefs.
Quarterback Philip Rivers, center Mike Pouncey, running back Melvin Gordon, receiver Keenan Allen, defensive end Melvin Ingram and safeties Derwin James and Adrian Phillips were selected. It marked the most Pro Bowlers the Chargers have had since 10 players made the trip to Hawaii in 2008.
"It feels amazing," James said of earning the honor as a rookie. "I set out goals for myself this year that I wanted to accomplish, and this is one of many.
"That's special, to be able to know that you're among the best in the league, because everyone doesn't make the Pro Bowl. I'm happy as hell."
James leads the Chargers with 93 combined tackles to go with 3.5 sacks and three interceptions.
Through 14 games, Rivers is tied for third in the league in passing touchdowns (31), fifth in completion percentage (69.4 percent) and tied for seventh in passing yards (3,951). Dating to last season, Rivers has completed a touchdown pass in 26 straight games.
The Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers had six selections apiece. The New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys each had five, including Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who earned his 12th Pro Bowl selection, moving him into a tie for ninth place in NFL history.
Lindsay is the second undrafted rookie to be selected to the Pro Bowl and the first on offense. Former longtime Cowboys cornerback Everson Walls was the other in 1981.
"I am so blessed to be selected to my first Pro Bowl!!," Lindsay wrote on Instagram. "It is a tremendous honor and I am so thankful to all of Broncos Country for supporting and believing in me this season."
Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson became the 13th player to make the Pro Bowl in each of his first eight seasons. The most recent player to do so was former Cleveland Browns lineman Joe Thomas. The other 11 players are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Among the most notable snubs are NFC running backs Alvin Kamara and Christian McCaffrey, but their position group is loaded, with Todd Gurley II, Ezekiel Elliott and Barkley making the field.
Elliott (1,892 yards from scrimmage), Gurley (1,831), Barkley (1,809), McCaffrey (1,747), Atlanta Falcons receiver Julio Jones (1,523) and Kamara (1,487) rank as the top six players in scrimmage yards in the NFL. Kamara's 16 touchdowns rank second behind only Gurley's 21.
Because that NFC running back group is so deep, the Washington Redskins' Adrian Peterson was stopped short of earning his eighth Pro Bowl appearance, despite having 1,123 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns at the age of 33.
Another notable snub was Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, who is second in the NFL with 34 touchdown passes. (Mahomes leads the league with 45 TDs.)
Three teams -- the Buffalo Bills, Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- had no players selected to the Pro Bowl.
AFC roster
Quarterback: Patrick Mahomes; Philip Rivers; Tom Brady
Running back: James Conner; Melvin Gordon; Phillip Lindsay
Fullback: Anthony Sherman
Wide receiver: DeAndre Hopkins; Tyreek Hill; Antonio Brown; Keenan Allen
Tackle: Taylor Lewan; Alejandro Villanueva; Eric Fisher
Guard: David DeCastro; Marshal Yanda; Quenton Nelson
Center: Maurkice Pouncey; Mike Pouncey
Tight end: Travis Kelce; Eric Ebron
Defensive end: J.J. Watt; Myles Garrett; Melvin Ingram
Interior lineman: Geno Atkins; Jurrell Casey; Cameron Heyward
Outside linebacker: Von Miller; Jadeveon Clowney; Dee Ford
Inside linebacker: C.J. Mosley; Benardrick McKinney
Cornerback: Xavien Howard; Jalen Ramsey; Stephon Gilmore; Denzel Ward
Free safety: Derwin James; Eric Weddle
Strong safety: Jamal Adams
Kicker: Jason Myers
Long-snapper: To be named by coach
Punter: Brett Kern
Return specialist: Andre Roberts
Special-teamer: Adrian Phillips
NFC roster
Quarterback: Drew Brees; Jared Goff; Aaron Rodgers
Running back: Todd Gurley II; Saquon Barkley; Ezekiel Elliott
Fullback: Kyle Juszczyk
Wide receiver: Julio Jones; Michael Thomas; Adam Thielen; Davante Adams
Tackle: Tyron Smith; Terron Armstead; Trent Williams
Guard: Zack Martin; Brandon Brooks; Trai Turner
Center: Alex Mack; Max Unger
Tight end: Zach Ertz; George Kittle
Defensive end: Cameron Jordan; DeMarcus Lawrence; Danielle Hunter
Interior lineman: Aaron Donald; Fletcher Cox; Akiem Hicks
Outside linebacker: Khalil Mack; Ryan Kerrigan; Anthony Barr
Inside linebacker: Luke Kuechly; Bobby Wagner
Cornerback: Kyle Fuller; Patrick Peterson; Darius Slay; Byron Jones
Free safety: Eddie Jackson; Harrison Smith
Strong safety: Landon Collins
Kicker: Aldrick Rosas
Long-snapper: To be named by coach
Punter: Michael Dickson
Return specialist: Tarik Cohen
Special-teamer: Cory Littleton
ESPN Stats & Information and ESPN's Eric D. Williams contributed to this report.
