The NFL released the results from the first round of Pro Bowl voting today and no player from the Detroit Lions was listed in the top 10 for their respective positions.
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No Matthew Stafford, who hasn’t been voted to the Pro Bowl since his one and only trip in 2014. No Darius Slay, who was the only Lion to be voted to last year’s Pro Bowl. No Matt Prater or Ezekiel Ansah, who were Pro Bowlers back in 2016 and 2015 respectively.
Since Calvin Johnson, who made the Pro Bowl in six consecutive seasons between 2010 and 2015, retired the Detroit Lions have struggled to get players invited to the NFL’s yearly all-star game. The fan vote has always been a popularity contest and when you start out the season 1-3 and sit in fourth place of the NFC North 12 weeks into the season it can be difficult to get your fan base energized let alone generate national buzz for your players.
While current Lions players haven’t had much luck, there are a few former Lions that have managed to crack the top 10 lists for their positions. Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh currently sits in fifth, Indianapolis Colts tight end Eric Ebron is fourth, and New Orleans Saints guard Larry Warford is seventh.
Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network provided the update on voting today. Saints quarterback Drew Brees has received the most votes so far and is followed in the top five by Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Rams running back Todd Gurley, Pittsburgh Steelers running back James Conner, and New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley.
Top five in early Pro Bowl voting:
1. Drew Brees
2. Patrick Mahomes
3. Todd Gurley
4. James Conner (!!)
5. Saquon Barkleyhttps://t.co/XahN5L2WOB— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 21, 2018
Voting for the Pro Bowl opened on November 13th and will be closed on Thursday, December 13th. You can head over to NFL.com to place your vote. Between November 29th and December 13th you will also be able to vote directly on Twitter. To vote on Twitter, you can tweet the first and last name of the player, the player’s official Twitter handle, or a hashtag including the player’s first and last name. All three of these methods must include the hashtag: #ProBowlVote. Any votes you cast via Twitter are counted in addition to your votes from the online ballot at NFL.com.
The 2019 Pro Bowl will be played on Sunday, January 27th, 2019 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida and feature the traditional AFC vs. NFC game format. The Pro Bowl rosters will be announced on Tuesday, December 18th live on NFL Network.
