Flag football at Pro Bowl offers Olympic preview
ORLANDO, Fla. — Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill catching a pass over the middle and flashing world-class speed on the way to scoring a touchdown.
Chargers receiver Keenan Allen taking a lateral from Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud and juking a defender to buy time before throwing across the field to Jaguars tight end Evan Engram in the end zone.
The Pro Bowl Games concluded Sunday with NFC and AFC stars competing in a flag football game that gave fans and a national TV audience glimpses of what the soon-tobe Olympic sport might look like with such highly skilled athletes on the field.
‘‘It was cool,’’ Allen said. ‘‘A little flag football. We didn’t really play hard when it was pads. It’s still football . ... You are out there running around with the guys who are the best talent in the NFL. It’s fun to be out there.’’
The NFC defeated the AFC 64-59, with the final score determined by combining points from the game with those accumulated by each conference in two days of skills challenges.
This was the second year for a reimagined format that replaced the traditional Pro Bowl, which had waned in popularity in the last decade.
Players and an announced crowd of 55,709 seemed to enjoy what has become largely a made-for-TV event.
‘‘I think it was amazing,’’ Stroud said. ‘‘People showed up and showed out and had a good time.’’
Stroud had a chance to win the game for the AFC at the end, but his final pass — intended for Allen — was broken up in the end zone by Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson.
‘‘We wanted to win bad,’’ Allen said. ‘‘We were just trying to make plays at the end.’’
Flag football has been added to the Olympic program for the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, and the NFL is exploring the possibility of allowing its players an opportunity to be part of Team USA when the sport debuts in four years.
Hill and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes are among the biggest stars who have said they would be interested in playing in the Olympics.