Pro Bowl 2017: Date, Kickoff Time, Format, AFC, NFC Rosters and More

The matchup for Super Bowl LI has been set. On Feb. 5, the Atlanta Falcons will take on the New England Patriots for the ultimate in NFL bragging rights.

This means we'll have a one-week break from meaningful NFL action before the big game. We will, however, have the 2017 Pro Bowl, this year's edition of the league's annual all-star exhibition game.

While the Pro Bowl isn't going to carry the intensity of an NFL playoff game, it will be an interesting and entertaining showcase of this season's biggest stars—at least those who choose to attend. This year, the game will be returning to a conference-based format after three years of utilizing a fantasy-draft format for filling out the rosters.

This year also sees the return of a skill challenge in the days leading up to the game.

Here's everything you need to know about the 2017 Pro Bowl, including scheduling, television information and the rosters—which are obviously devoid of Patriots and Falcons.

There could be some further changes to the rosters if more players who participated in the postseason pull out of the game.

2017 NFL Pro Bowl

When: Sunday, January 29

Time: 8 p.m. ET

Where: Camping World Stadium, Orlando

National TV: ESPN

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Current Pro Bowl Rosters

Position	AFC	NFC
Offense
Defense
Special Teams
QB	Andy Dalton, CIN	Drew Brees, NO
QB	Alex Smith, KC	Dak Prescott, DAL
QB	TBD	Kirk Cousins, WAS
RB	Melvin Gordon, SD	Ezekiel Elliott, DAL
RB	DeMarco Murray, TEN	Jordan Howard, CHI
RB	Jay Ajayi, MIA	Darren Sproles, PHI
FB	Kyle Juszczyk, BAL	Mike Tolbert, CAR
WR	Demaryius Thomas, DEN	Odell Beckham Jr, NYG
WR	T.Y. Hilton, IND	Mike Evans, TB
WR	Jarvis Landry, MIA	Larry Fitzgerald, ARI
WR	Emmanuel Sanders, DEN	Doug Baldwin, SEA
TE	Travis Kelce, KC	Greg Olsen, CAT
TE	Delanie Walker, TEN	Jimmy Graham, SEA
OT	Joe Thomas, CLE	Tyron Smith, DAL
OT	Taylor Lewan, TEN	Trent Williams, WAS
OT	Andrew Whitworth, CIN	Jason Peters, PHI
G	Kelechi Osemele, OAK	Zack Martin, DAL
G	David DeCastro, PIT	T.J. Lang, Green Bay
G	Richie Incognito, BUF	Trai Turner, Carolina
C	Rodney Hudson, OAK	Travis Frederick, DAL
C	Jeremy Zuttah, BAL	Jason Kelce, PHI
DE	Cameron Wake, MIA	Everson Griffin, MIN
DE	Carlos Dunlap, CIN	Cliff Avril, SEA
DE	Leonard Williams, NYJ	Michael Bennett, SEA
DT	Geno Atkins, CIN	Gerald McCoy, TB
DT	Jurrell Casey, TEN	Fletcher Cox, PHI
DT	Kyle Williams, BUF	Linval Joseph, MIN
OLB	Von Miller, DEN	Thomas Davis, CAR
OLB	Lorenzo Alexander, BUF	K.J. Wright, SEA
OLB	Brian Orakpo, TEN	Anthony Barr, MIN
ILB	Ryan Shazier, PIT	Bobby Wagner, SEA
ILB	Zach Brown, BUF	Sean Lee, DAL
CB	Aqib Talib, DEN	Janoris Jenkins, NYG
CB	Marcus Peters, KC	Patrick Peterson, ARI
CB	Casey Hayward, LAC	Richard Sherman, SEA
CB	Chris Harris Jr., DEN	Xavier Rhodes, MIN
S	Reggie Nelson, OAK	Harrison Smith, MIN
S	Darian Stewart, DEN	Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, GB
S	Eric Weddle, BAL	Landon Collins, NYG
K	Justin Tucker, BAL	Johnny Hekker, LAR
P	Dustin Colquitt, IND	Matt Prater, DET
KR	Tyreek Hill, KC	Cordarrelle Patterson, MIN
ST	D.J. Alexander, KC	Dwayne Harris, NYG
LS	Morgan Cox, BAL	Jake McQuaide, LAR

Latest Buzz

Patriots, Falcons Out of the Mix

The AFC and NFC Pro Bowl rosters look a bit different to what they did a couple of days ago because the Falcons and Patriots are both moving on to the Super Bowl. Four Patriots had been named to the Pro Bowl and now must withdraw. Six Falcons were initially named to the all-star contest.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was going to start for the AFC offense. Patriots linebacker Dont'a Hightower and Safety Devin McCourty were slated to start for the defense. Receiver Matthew Slater was to be the AFC's special teams player.

Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan was originally supposed to start for the NFC, as were receiver Julio Jones, running back Devonta Freeman and center Alex Mack. Linebacker Vic Beasley was going to start for the NFC defense, while Matt Bryant was chosen to kick for the conference.

The Return to Conference Format

The NFL tried shaking up the Pro Bowl a few years back by ditching the conference vs. conference format and allowing Legends Captains to fill out their rosters via a fantasy-draft format. The idea was to inject some additional excitement into the game and to create an additional event—the fantasy draft itself.

While the idea was intriguing, and it was often fun to see teammates battle each other on the playing field, the league obviously wasn't happy with the overall results. This will be the first time the Pro Bowl has featured conference-based rosters since after the 2012 season.

This return to the old format may cause even more fans to reject the exhibition game. According to Zac Jackson of ProFootballTalk, the Pro Bowl saw a significant drop in ratings in 2016 for the second consecutive year.

At least the conference uniforms for this year's game have a simpler and classier look. There will be no uniforms resembling safety vests this time around.

The Kansas City Chiefs coaching staff will be in charge of the AFC team this year. The Dallas Cowboys staff will handle the NFC. They were selected because the Cowboys and the Chiefs were the highest-seeded teams to be eliminated before Conference Championship Weekend.

Just like the players featuring in the all-star game, these coaches would likely rather be preparing for the Super Bowl.

"It’s actually a great experience once you're there," Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett explained, per his team's official website. "In some ways, it’s a dubious distinction. You don’t want to be the team coaching in the Pro Bowl because it means you’ve lost in this round."

In years past, these coaches would at least be treated to a trip to Hawaii. However, this year sees the Pro Bowl in Orlando.

Pro Bowl Week Might Actually Be Fun

Part of the reason the Pro Bowl has been moved to Orlando is that the league appears to be making the all-star game more accessible and more entertaining for the average fan. 

There is an entire week of activities planned for Pro Bowl Week, with special attention being given to youth football.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the following in a statement last offseason:

"

We are excited to re-imagine the Pro Bowl experience for both fans and players and to celebrate the game of football at all levels. Collaborating with Disney and ESPN brings us closer to the best in youth and family-focused entertainment. We look forward to working with the city of Orlando and Florida Citrus Sports to create a week-long celebration for football and our fans.

"

The annual USA Football National Conference will take place during the week leading up to the Pro Bowl, and the Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year Award winner will be announced during the game itself.

The Punt, Pass and Kick national competition will take place during Pro Bowl Week, as will the NFL FLAG Championships and North American Championship for youth teams.

The Madden Bowl will take place on Thursday, the day after the Pro Bowl Skills Showdown. During the skills competition, players will compete in entertaining events like catching and passing events, relay races and dodgeball.

The Pro Bowl Skills Showdown will air on Thursday on ESPN at 7 p.m. ET.

If you've been a fan long enough to remember the old Pro Bowl skills competitions—which included events like passing-accuracy challenges and obstacle courses—then you know there's a chance this could be more entertaining than the game.