NFL Pro Bowl 2018: Start Time, Betting Odds, TV Channel, Prediction

There’s still one NFL game left on the schedule before the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles meet in Super Bowl LII. The NFC takes on the AFC in the 2018 Pro Bowl Sunday afternoon in Orlando.

The NFL’s version of the All-Star Game takes place a week before the Super Bowl with a 3 p.m. EST start time. ESPN will televise the contest, and fans can watch a live stream of the contest with WatchESPN. The betting odds favor the NFC by three points, according to OddsShark, and the over/under is 69.

The game is supposed to feature the best players in all of football, though that won’t exactly be the case. Pro Bowlers that will play in the Super Bowl won’t be on either roster Sunday, meaning the likes of Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Zach Ertz and Fletcher Cox won’t suit up. Carson Wentz also made the Pro Bowl roster, despite his season-ending injury.

Some of the league’s top stars that won’t be in the Super Bowl will also skip the Pro Bowl. Antonio Brown and DeAndre Hopkins, both of whom were First-Team All-Pro wide receivers, will miss the game because of injuries.

Ben Roethlisberger, Russell Wilson and Drew Brees are the only three quarterbacks that were originally named to the Pro Bowl and will still play Sunday. Derek Carr, Alex Smith and Jared Goff were named to the roster as replacement players.

No player that will participate in Sunday’s game had a better season than Todd Gurley. Tom Brady is expected to win the 2017 NFL MVP award, and the Los Angeles Rams’ running back could finish as the runner-up in the voting.

Rams’ defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who might be the favorite to win NFL Defensive Player of the Year, won’t play in the Pro Bowl because of an injury. Jacksonville Jaguars stars Calais Campbell and Jalen Ramsey, who could get some votes for the award, will be on the field. The same goes for Minnesota Vikings’ safety Harrison Smith, now that he’s been named a Pro Bowl replacement.

The AFC defeated the NFC 20-13 last year. Kansas City Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce and Buffalo Bills’ linebacker Lorenzo Alexander won the offensive and defensive MVP awards, respectively.

At least one of the teams has scored more than 40 points in six of the last 10 Pro Bowls.

Prediction: NFC over AFC, 33-20