2025 Pro Bowl results: Jared Goff, Josh Jacobs help NFC grab early lead over AFC in new format

The 2025 Pro Bowl kicked off Thursday evening as some of the NFL’s biggest stars took part in the new-look skills challenge down in Orlando. Peyton Manning is again leading the AFC, while his brother, Eli Manning, captains the NFC. 

We saw a new passing drill with trivia involved, a never-before-seen catch competition, a spike competition, another trivia game that resembled the “Newlywed Game,” a relay race and of course, dodgeball. Sunday at 3 p.m. ET is when the flag football game will take place, but let’s take a look at how the Pro Bowlers fared in the skill showdown. 

Passing the test (3 points)

“Each of the conference’s three quarterbacks try to hit targets at various distances around the field worth different point values in 40 seconds. Before the challenge, each quarterback selected a Pro Bowl Games teammate to answer five trivia questions about current Pro Bowl players. For every correct answer, the quarterback got an additional 10 seconds. The winner of the competition is the team with the quarterback who scores the most points.”

AFC teammates: Joe Burrow (Bengals) and Nico Collins (Texans), Drake Maye (Patriots) and Jonnu Smith (Dolphins), Russell Wilson (Steelers) and Myles Garrett (Browns)

NFC teammates: Jared Goff (Lions) and Josh Jacobs (Packers), Sam Darnold (Vikings) and Fred Warner (49ers), Baker Mayfield (Bucs) and Mike Evans (Bucs)

Nico Collins answered just two trivia questions correctly, including who was the first Bengal to wear No. 1 (Ja’Marr Chase). That gave Joe Burrow just one minute to toss at targets, but he absolutely crushed the drill, racking up 27 points in the limited amount of time. 

Josh Jacobs answered all five trivia questions correctly, which gave his rival/teammate Jared Goff 1:30 to throw. He coasted to a nice score of 44. 

Jonnu Smith missed just one trivia question, and it was a pretty funny miss because he thought Bengals pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson was on the Texans. That gave Drake Maye 1:20 to throw. The rookie struggled with a 22.

Fred Warner was another player that crushed trivia, giving Sam Darnold 1:30 to throw. The Vikings QB started off hot with six hit targets in a row, but eventually tapered off a bit. He finished with a 39.

Myles Garrett had to answer trivia questions for Russell Wilson, and he went a perfect 5 of 5. That gave Mr. Unlimited 1:30 to throw. He finished with a 31, which was a team high for the AFC. 

Mike Evans struggled with trivia, answering 3 of 5 questions correctly, which gave teammate Baker Mayfield 1:10 to try to beat Goff’s high score of 44. The former No. 1 overall pick scored a 27. 

Final results: NFC wins

Satisfying catches (3 points)

NFC participants: Justin Jefferson (Vikings), Trey McBride (Cardinals), Jaylon Johnson (Bears): Finished with a 1:57 time (won)

AFC participants: Ja’Marr Chase (Bengals), Brock Bowers (Raiders), Derek Stingley Jr. (Texans): Finished with a 2:06 time (lost)

The big spike (3 points)

“Linemen look to spike footballs onto a machine that measure power and impact.”

The AFC got their first three points thanks to Jets lineman Quinnen Williams, who put up a high score of 982. 

Final results 

Helmet harmony (3 points)

“This game show tests players knowledge of their teammate.” 

AFC teammates: Cameron Heyward and Miles Killebrew (Steelers), Dion Dawkins and Connor McGovern (Bills), Marlon Humphrey and Kyle Hamilton (Ravens)
NFC teammates: Vita Vea and Tristan Wirfs (Bucs), Jonathan Greenard and Brian O’Neill (Vikings), Rashan Gary and Xavier McKinney (Packers)

Final results: NFC wins, 8-6

Relay Race (3 races, 1 point apiece)

“A simultaneous relay-style event where four players from each conference complete a 40-yard dash before handing a football to the next athlete on their team, continuing until the fourth and final leg crosses the finish line. The conferences will compete in three rounds, with the fastest team winning.”

AFC teams: Jonathan Taylor (Colts), Patrick Surtain II (Broncos), Danielle Hunter (Texans), Patrick Ricard (Ravens), Minkah Fitzpatrick (Steelers), Marvin Mims Jr. (Broncos), Joey Bosa (Chargers), Denzel Ward (Browns), Jerry Jeudy (Browns), Kyle Van Noy, (Ravens), Nik Bonitto (Broncos), Derwin James (Chargers)
NFC teams:  Jahmyr Gibbs (Lions), Jaycee Horn (Panthers), Micah Parsons (Cowboys), Brian Branch (Lions), Devon Witherspoon (Seahawks), KhaDarel Hodge (Falcons), Nick Bosa (49ers), KaVontae Turpin (Cowboys), Malik Nabers (Giants), Bobby Wagner (Commanders), Jared Verse (Rams), Budda Baker (Cardinals)

Race 1: The AFC was dominated in the first race, as Jonathan Taylor couldn’t secure a handoff from Patrick Surtain II.

Race 2: The second race was pretty hysterical, as the Bosa brothers started it off with a SPEED WALKING competition instead of sprinting. Then, Devon Witherspoon messed up his handoff — leading to an AFC victory. 

Race 3: For a third consecutive race, a handoff miscue doomed a team. Jerry Jeudy failed to cleanly hand off the ball to Kyle Van Noy, giving the 2-1 advantage to the NFC. 

Dodgeball (2 games, 3 points apiece)

“A classic game of 7-on-7 dodgeball between conferences played in two matches.” 

AFC teams: Jeffery Simmons (Titans), Logan Cooke (Jaguars), Ronnie Stanley (Ravens), Chris Boswell (Steelers), Joe Mixon (Texans), Isaac Seumalo (Steelers), Tyler Linderbaum (Ravens), Patrick Queen (Steelers), Quenton Nelson (Colts), Zaire Franklin (Colts), Brian Thomas Jr. (Jaguars), James Cook (Bills), Ross Matiscik (Jaguars), Trey Hendrickson (Bengals)
NFC teams: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Seahawks), Erik McCoy (Saints), Leonard Williams (Seahawks), Bijan Robinson (Falcons), Robert Hunt (Panthers), Taylor Decker (Lions), Jack Fox (Lions), Kyle Juszczyk (49ers), Tyler Smith (Cowboys), Andrew Van Ginkel (Vikings), George Kittle (49ers), Andrew DePaola (Vikings), Brandon Aubrey (Cowboys), Byron Murphy (Vikings)

Game 1: The AFC won the first battle of attrition after late Pro Bowl replacement Jeffery Simmons caught a ball thrown by Leonard Williams!

Game 2: The AFC would have absolutely loved to grab an extra three points before night’s end, but Quenton Nelson’s soft toss was easily caught by Tyler Smith to end the game. The NFC ended their great night with another victory. 

Score after Thursday: NFC 14 AFC 7

Not only do we have the flag football game on Sunday, but there will be four more “skill drills” as well: Punt perfect, the “Madden” head-to-head, “The Great Football Race” and tug of war.