Pittsburgh Review

Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson has been selected to participate in the Pro Bowl Games, stepping in for Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who is sidelined due to an injury. This marks Wilson's 10th appearance at the Pro Bowl, tying him for the fifth-most appearances among quarterbacks in NFL history.

Wilson returned from a calf injury to start the last 11 games of the 2024 season. During this period, he completed 214 of 336 passes (63.7%) for 2,482 yards with 16 touchdowns and five interceptions. Additionally, he rushed 43 times for 155 yards and scored two touchdowns.

Throughout his career, Wilson has started all of his 199 game appearances, completing a total of 3,882 out of 6,001 passes (64.7%), amassing 46,135 yards with 350 touchdowns and suffering only 111 interceptions. He is one of only three quarterbacks in NFL history to have thrown at least 2,400 yards every season over their first thirteen years in the league. His record also includes more wins (130) during his initial thirteen seasons than any other quarterback except Tom Brady (153), Peyton Manning (150), Ben Roethlisberger (136), and Brett Favre (136).

Wilson joins fellow Steelers named to the Pro Bowl Games including kicker Chris Boswell, safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, defensive tackle Cameron Heyward and linebacker T.J. Watt as starters; special teams player Miles Killebrew as an injury replacement; and guard Isaac Seumalo as another replacement. Watt will not participate due to an injury.

Steelers Director of Player Development Darrel Young has been appointed to serve on the AFC staff for this year's Pro Bowl Games as one of the Heads of Player Engagement alongside Marcus Pollard from the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The traditional format has evolved into what is now known as the Pro Bowl Games featuring various skills competitions culminating with an AFC vs NFC Flag Game scheduled for February 2 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.

These events are set to be broadcast on ESPN starting January 30 with a Skills Show followed by live coverage on both ESPN and ABC from Camping World Stadium showcasing flag football along with additional contests such as Tug-of-War and Punt Perfect.

The Skills Show will involve challenges like Passing The Test where quarterbacks aim at targets within time constraints augmented by trivia questions answered by teammates; Satisfying Catches presented by SNICKERS testing receivers' abilities through obstacle courses; Relay Races involving teams dashing across distances handing off footballs; Helmet Harmony gauging players’ knowledge about each other; Dodgeball presented by Bud Light pitting mixed conference teams against each other in classic rounds.

On February second further events include Punt Perfect focusing on accuracy placing punts into buckets worth points; The Great Football Race comprising multi-stage relays ending with sled pushes determining victors; Tug-of-War demanding teamwork strength strategizing towards pulling adversaries over foam pits across best-of-three trials.