NFL takes center stage with revamped Pro Bowl games

The revamped NFL Pro Bowl doesn’t stop at adding a flag football to the game itself. New football and non-football challenges will be added to the event’s skills competitions.

THURSDAY

Raiders’ Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center, Henderson. 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on ESPN

Epic pro dodgeball

Four teams of five players will participate in a multi-round dodgeball tournament. The tournament will begin with teams comprised of the offenses and defenses of both conferences. The AFC offense will play the AFC defense, then the NFC offense will face the NFC defense.

The winners of those two matches will face each other in an AFC-NFC showdown, good for three points toward the winning conference’s Pro Bowl Games total.

Lightning Round

Each conference will select 16 players to participate in the three-part elimination Lightning Round event. The challenge will culminate with one player remaining, winning points for their conference.

The Lightning Round includes a water balloon toss competition; a punt catching challenge with balls being launched by a JUGS machine and an aim challenge, with multiple targets needing to be hit, before a bucket is dumped on the winning team’s coach’s head.

Longest drive

Four players from each conference will take part in a golf ball driving challenge. Each player will get three swings. The player who drives the ball the farthest, while keeping the ball in bounds, will be victorious.

Precision passing

Each conferences three quarterbacks will take part in a one-minute accuracy challenge, with multiple robotic and drone targets, worth one to five points and a 10-point long toss bucket, worth 10 points. Each quarterback will accumulate points for hitting the various targets.

Best catch, part 1

The two-day Best Catch event will begin with a highlight reel of receptions at various Las Vegas venues. Two players from each conference will take part in the event, being judged on creativity, intuitiveness and talent.

After the catches are aired on ESPN, fans will vote for their favorites online, with the players with the highest votes competing in the finals Feb. 5 at Allegiant Stadium.

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SUNDAY

Allegiant Stadium; Noon to 3 p.m. on ABC and ESPN

Best catch, part 2

The finals of the Best Catch tournament will culminate with the top vote-getters from Feb. 2 competing against each other in front of a panel of celebrity judges.

The player with the highest score from the judges will win the event.

Gridiron gauntlet

Six players from each conference will take part in a relay race that will test their agility, speed and strength. The side-by-side race will feature four segments, each 40 yards in length. Those include running through breakaway walls, climbing over walls and under tables, a tire run and a blocking sled event with an NFL legend on board. First team to cross the finish line wins.

Kick-tac-toe

Each team’s kicker, punter and long passer will compete to connect a line of three squares or five squares on an on-field tic-tac-toe set up to win the challenge.

Move the chains

Two teams of five players from each conference will compete side by side in a weighted wall pull.

Team’s will pull a wall fitted with heavy weights 10 yards using first down chains. The winner of the best-of-three event will earn the points.

Flag football

After the skills events, the flag football games will take place. The winners of each of the first two flag-football games will win six points for each game.

Those points will be added to the points accumulated by each team during the skills events to crown a winner of the Pro Bowl games.