For the 23rd consecutive season the Steelers are sending multiple players to the Pro Bowl, and it's the 32nd time in the last 35 seasons they are doing so.
Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, special teamer Miles Killebrew and linebacker T.J. Watt will represent the black and gold as they were voted to the Pro Bowl Games, which took on a new format in 2022. Killebrew and Watt were both voted in as starters.
Fitzpatrick was selected to his fourth Pro Bowl. He is second on the Steelers with 64 tackles, 43 of them solo stops, despite missing six games due to injury. He also has three passes defensed and a tackle for a loss.
Fitzpatrick has a season high 11 tackles against the Rams this season, while his career-high is 14 tackles against Cincinnati (2022) and Tennessee (2021).
Killebrew has been voted to the Pro Bowl Games for the first time in his career, selected as a special teamer.
Killebrew, who is the Steelers special teams captain, has blocked three punts since signing with the Steelers in 2021, tied for the most by any team, not just players, in the NFL since that time, and four blocked punts in his career.
Killebrew leads the Steelers with 13 special teams tackles, including 11 solo stops. He blocked a punt against the Baltimore Ravens that went out of the endzone for a safety in a game the Steelers won, 17-10. Killebrew didn't get credited with a blocked punt against the New England Patriots since the ball went past the line of scrimmage, but his impact on the play was felt just the same.
This is the sixth year Watt has been voted to the Pro Bowl, although he will not take part this year because of injury. He was voted the Steelers Most Valuable Player on Tuesday for the fourth time in his career after having another season where he is on track to win the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
Watt is currently tied for the NFL lead with 17 sacks, leading the league twice before in 2020 and 2021. If he continues on this pace, he will become the first player to lead the NFL in sacks three times. Watt became the seventh player since 1982 with at least 17 sacks in two of his first seven seasons.
Watt is also tied for first in quarterback hits (33), tied for second in fumble recoveries (3), tied for fifth in forced fumbles (4) and tied for sixth in tackles for a loss (16). He joins only two other players with this stat line in a season, including his brother J.J. Watt, who won AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year three times, and Jared Allen.
Watt has recorded a sack in 12 of 16 games in 2023. He has averaged 0.93 sacks per game since he was drafted by the Steelers in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, which is the best in NFL history (minimum 100 games started).
The traditional Pro Bowl game has been replaced by activities, which will culminate with an AFC vs. NFC Flag Game at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida on Sunday, February 4.
Leading into the game there will be skill competitions, giving fans a fun look at all of the league's top players.
Below is a list of all of the events.
Thursday, Feb. 1:
Precision Passing: Each of the conference's three quarterbacks will battle it out in a one-minute accuracy competition, as they attempt to accumulate points by hitting as many targets as possible. The conference with the highest cumulative score among all participants earns three points. There are a total of 10 targets that are either static or attached to robotic dummies and drones, each worth a different amount, ranging from one to five points.
Best Catch: Pre-taped in landmarks around Orlando, Best Catch will feature one player from each conference, as they show off their creativity, inventiveness and talent. Fans will vote online to determine their favorite catch, and the player with the highest number of votes will earn three points for his conference.
Closest to the Pin: This golf accuracy competition will feature six players from each conference. They will drive the golf ball, working to hit it as close to the hole as possible. The winner will earn three points for his conference.
High Stakes: Starting off with a football in hand, each player will attempt to catch punts from a JUGS machine. Each player that succeeds in catching the football without dropping others will advance to the next round and attempt to catch an additional football. The most sure-handed player who catches the most footballs wins.
Dodgeball presented by Bud Light: A multi-round tournament of classic dodgeball featuring four teams of five players. In the first match, the AFC offense will face the NFC defense, and in the second game, the NFC offense squares off with the AFC defense. The winner will earn three points for their conference.
Kick Tac Toe: Each team's kicker will compete in a giant Tic-Tac-Toe competition to showcase their skills. The first kicker to complete a connecting line of three squares or hit five squares total will be declared the winner and earn three points for his conference.
Sunday, Feb. 4:
Madden NFL Head-to-Head: For the fourth consecutive year, EA SPORTS will host the Madden NFL Head-to-Head Pro Bowl Games event. Two players will represent the NFC and defend their title against the AFC played in Madden NFL 24 using the official 2024 Pro Bowl Games rosters. New this year, the winning team will earn their conference three points.
Gridiron Gauntlet: A full-field relay race between six AFC players and six NFC players who show off their athletic prowess in a challenging obstacle course. They'll break through walls and crawl under doors, among other obstacles, to get to the final sled push across the field with the ultimate goal of finishing first. The winning team will earn their conference three points.
Tug-of-War: New this year, Tug-of-War is a five-on-five demonstration of teamwork, strength and strategy. Positioned above a foam pit, players are challenged to pull backwards on the rope, attempting to move the opposing team in their direction. The competition will be the best of three, and the winner who pulls the opposing team across the marker twice gains three points.
Move the Chains: This offensive and defensive linemen strength and speed competition takes strategy and teamwork. Each team of five players must work together to move 3,000 pounds of weights off a massive wall and be the first team to pull that 2,000-pound wall across the finish line. The winner will earn three points for their conference.
