NFL Pro Bowl Games 2023: Rules and Format for Skills Challenge, Flag Football

It's no secret that the NFL Pro Bowl was in dire need of a rebrand.

Well, football fans, change is officially afoot.

For 2023, the Pro Bowl has been renamed the Pro Bowl Games. Instead of contact football, where the league's biggest stars do their best to try and avoid injury, AFC and NFC players players will be able to take a more lighthearted approach and showcase their talents with a series of skill competitions and a non-contact flag football game.

That's right: flag football.

No excessive contact required.

Just the supreme hand-eye coordination needed to rip off an opponent's flag on the play.

This move by the NFL is also a way to push the game internationally. It's already partnered with the International Federal of American Football to bring flag football to the World Games this July and, ideally, to the Olympics in 2028.

"Maybe a different format could bring a little juice, a little more energy," New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram II and a three-time Pro Bowl participant told the Associated Press' Rob Maaddi.

"You definitely don't want to get hurt. It's an all-star game, essentially, and you want to put on a good product for the fans and for yourself, but at the same time, the season is over for you, essentially. You don't want to be going into an offseason or into a contract year and getting hurt in a Pro Bowl game."

The all-star competitions will take place in Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium starting Thursday, beginning with five skills challenges, followed by three more skills competitions and three flag football games Sunday.

Here's a closer look at the rules for the skills competitions and the flag football games.

Pro Bowl Skills Competition Rules

Gregory Payan/AP Images for NFL

NFC wide receiver Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings competes in the Best Catch Event at the 2022 Pro Bowl Skills Showdown, Wednesday, February 2, 2022, in Las Vegas. The event will be broadcast Thursday at 7:00 pm ET on ESPN. (Gregory Payan/AP Images for NFL)

Thursday is earmarked for the Pro Bowl Skills Showdown.

Starting at 7 p.m. ET at Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center, fans will be able to see their favorite AFC and NFC players compete in Dodgeball, Precision Passing and the first round of Best Catch.

Then there are the challenges where players get to test their non-football talents like Longest Drive to test golfing skills and Lightning Round, a water balloon toss.

Winners of these competitions will earn three points for their conference.

Then it's on to Sunday at Allegiant Stadium, where the remaining three skills competitions will take place: the Best Catch finale, Gridiron Gauntlet, Kick Tac Toe and Move The Chains.

All told, there are a possible 24 points on the line from the eight skills events for players to contribute to their respective conference.

Pro Bowl Games Flag Football Rules

AP Photo/Rick Scuteri

NFC wide receiver Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings (18) during the first half of the Pro Bowl NFL football game, Sunday, Feb. 6, 2022, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

There will be three flag football games Sunday.

There will be an additional 12 points on the line for the first two games and the total points from those two games and the skills competition earned by the AFC and NFC will be the beginning score for the third and final game.

From there, standard flag football scoring will apply, and the team that finishes with the most points on the board will win the first Pro Bowl Games.

Here are a few key rule changes for the flag football event:

• Seven-on-seven featuring skill players
• Each team may have one center
• 50-yard field with 10-yard end zones
• No Run Zone beginning at the opponent's 5-yard line
• 20-minute games (two 10-minute halves)
• 25-second play clock
• Running clock besides the final two minutes of each half
• Clock stops on an incomplete pass, score, timeout, penalty or change of possession in the final two minutes of each half
• Touchdowns worth six points; teams can then do a one-point conversion from the 3-yard line or a two-point conversion from the 10-yard line

This isn't just a star-studded event on the field of play; it's also packed with star power on the sidelines. Peyton Manning will coach the AFC team, with Ray Lewis by his side as the defensive coordinator and women's flag football legend Diana Flores on tap as the offensive coordinator.

The other Manning, Eli, will coach the NFC team, with DeMarcus Ware coordinating the defense and women's flag football legend Vanita Krouch coordinating the offense.

ABC and ESPN will broadcast Sunday's events live from Allegiant Stadium at 3 p.m. ET.

Full rosters for the Pro Bowl Games can be found here.