Pro Bowl: The biggest snubs from the NFC and AFC

The NFL Pro Bowl rosters have been announced for 2019 and it’s quite a collection of names, featuring a mix of old vets and rising stars.

However, not everybody has that honor bestowed upon them from year to year, even though there are strong arguments that some deserved it more than others who actually got it. These men are commonly referred to as “snubs.” Going down the list of names in both the NFC and AFC this year? They could form a roster comparable or maybe even better than the one that actually got picked. Here are the biggest names who got criminally overlooked.

AFC:

Andrew Luck (QB, Indianapolis Colts)

Tom Brady doesn’t need another Pro Bowl. He also didn’t deserve to get the nod this year. That may sound crazy to say but it’s true. His numbers, while good, aren’t as impressive as Andrew Luck’s have been. To throw for 3,900 yards and 34 touchdowns in his first season after missing an entire year of action is far more deserving than what Brady has accomplished.

JuJu Smith-Schuster (WR, Pittsburgh Steelers)

Antonio Brown gets all the love among Steelers wide receivers. That’s a given. Still, the fact of the matter is Smith-Schuster has more yards than his celebrated teammate and has the 6th most in the entire NFL. He has more than Keenan Allen who got in ahead of him and has the same number of touchdown catches. Chalk that one up to team success playing a factor.

Darius Leonard (OLB, Indianapolis Colts)

This is probably the biggest of all snubs. Leonard has been absolutely everywhere this year. Despite being a rookie one could argue he’s actually been the best outside linebacker in the NFL. That’s no joke. The numbers tell the story: 146 tackles, seven sacks, four forced fumbles, and an interception. Honestly what else does the guy have to do?

Chris Jones (DE, Kansas City Chiefs)

One can probably chalk this up to a great defender being trapped on an average defense and being overshadowed by a loaded offense. Jones was a monster in 2018. He has 14 sacks in 14 games, an interception, and 17 tackles for a loss. He’s been as close to unblockable as anybody gets in this league. For him to not get in? Bad form, NFL.

NFC:

Russell Wilson (QB, Seattle Seahawks)

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Most people will argue that Matt Ryan deserves the honor but that’s simply not true. Wilson has the more touchdown passes (31 to 30) despite throwing almost 200 fewer passes. He’s also got his team at 8-6, a far better record than anybody thought was possible for this Seahawks team at the start of the season. So much of that is thanks to the superb play of their QB.

Christian McCaffrey (RB, Carolina Panthers)

The NFC is absolutely stacked with running back studs like Todd Gurley and Ezekiel Elliott. That doesn’t matter though. McCaffrey has been a one-man show for the Panthers in 2018. He has over 1,700 yards from scrimmage in 14 games along with 13 touchdowns. He might be the most versatile back in the NFL and it’s so unfortunate he wasn’t rewarded for it.

Damontae Kazee (S, Atlanta Falcons)

Landon Collins had himself another strong year for the New York Giants, but he didn’t deserve the nod at strong safety this time. Damontae Kazee was a playmaking machine for the Falcons all season, racking up six interceptions and a forced fumble. Collins didn’t come anywhere near that number and neither’s team did all that well So the snub is hard to understand.

Frank Clark (DE, Seattle Seahawks)

Cameron Jordan of New Orleans was voted in this year. It’s not hard to see why as he’s played on the best team in the NFC and racked up 12 sacks. The thing is Frank Clark has proved far more valuable to his teams’ success, has the same number of sacks along with an interception and two more forced fumbles. The guy isn’t getting nearly enough love.

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