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Viral Moments You Missed From Day One of 2023 Pro Bowl Games

The AFC dominated the NFC in the four competitions on Thursday night.

Madison Williams

There were plenty of viral worthy moments during day one of the 2023 NFL Pro Bowl Games on Thursday night in Las Vegas.

Thursday’s four events consisted of precision passing, the lightning round, longest drive and dodgeball. Additionally, four players participated in a “best catch” competition.

Most of the biggest highlights of the night came during the dodgeball match. The offenses and defenses of each conference faced each other before one team from the AFC and NFC faced each other for the final game.

The AFC dominated the NFC in day one, winning every competition except for dodgeball. Peyton Manning’s AFC leads 9–3 over Eli Manning’s NFC going into Sunday.

Here are some of the highlights from day one of the Pro Bowl Games.

Saquon Barkley Took Nasty Shot for the Team in Dodgeball

In the NFC offense vs. defense matchup, Saints linebacker Demario Davis threw a ball that hit Giants running back Saquon Barkley directly in the head. 

Before this shot, Barkley was dodging various balls Davis threw his way. He wasn’t going to let up his fight too easy.

Marlon Humphrey Dominates for the AFC’s Dodgeball Team

Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey stole the show for the AFC defensive dodgeball team as he made the win look easy by catching Raiders running back Josh Jacobs’s attempted shot at him.

At the beginning of the game, Humphrey got Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill out immediately after Hill failed to catch a ball thrown by Humphrey.

Tyler Huntley Shocked NFL Fans With High Precision Passing Score

Ravens backup quarterback Tyler Huntley made his first Pro Bowl appearance by dominating the precision passing competition. He scored 21 points in his turn, which was the highest score out of the six quarterbacks until Raiders quarterback Derek Carr scored 31.

Here’s a look at Huntley’s performance.

Carr ended up scoring the most points, which helped the AFC capture three points.

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Eli Manning Breathed a Sigh of Relief in Thrill of the Spill

Four defensive players showed off their passing skills in the “Thrill of the Spill” competition. NFC coach Eli Manning and AFC assistant Ray Lewis both stood in pools while the players threw footballs at four targets. When all the targets were hit, a bucket filled with an unknown substance would fall on either Manning or Lewis.

So, when the AFC players hit all four targets first, Manning was scared to be drenched with water, since that’s what he believed was in the bucket. Luckily for him, it was just confetti.

Jordan Poyer Hits Over 300-Yard Drive

Some of the players showed their skills in another sport: golf. Bills safety Jordan Poyer ended up winning the competition after he drove the golf ball 320 yards on the driving range.

Za’Darius Smith Proved Golf Isn’t His Sport

Not all the football players thrived on the driving range. Vikings linebacker Za’Darius Smith specifically had a tough time even hitting the ball off the tee.

Patrick Surtain II and Justin Jefferson Take Their ‘Best Catches’ to New Heights

Four players participated in a “best catch” competition, including Bills receiver Stefon Diggs, Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson, Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II and Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Surtain II and Jefferson specifically took their catches to new heights.

The Broncos star hung from dozens of feet above the air as he zip lined above the Las Vegas strip with the Broncos mascot, Miles. Surtain II caught the ball thrown by former NFL quarterback Matt Leinhart in front of a Las Vegas crowd.

Jefferson caught the ball thrown by Leinhart, who threw the ball from the top of the Eiffel Tower. The one in Las Vegas, that is. Leinhart couldn’t see where Jefferson was, and it did take the receiver a couple times to catch the ball, but he was able to mimic the famous catch he made during the 2022 season.

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

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