Shedeur Sanders faces the noise in his first Pro Bowl

Shedeur Sanders faces the noise in his first Pro Bowl originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Pro Bowl has faced criticism over the years as it has evolved from a typical padded football game to a flag football game. The 2026 Pro Bowl, considering what it has become, was an overall success.

Players were showcased and had a fun time in the process. There were big highlights and crowd reactions. At one point, Denver Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles was on pace for an MVP. Bolles had a touchdown and a 2-point conversion after an additional touchdown was called back.

Cincinnati Bengals receiver Ja'Marr Chase with a pick-six was not something expected when the game began. With almost every exciting play or questionable call, there was Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons riding around on a motorized scooter he named “Lightning McQueen”.

Take away the pads and the big hits and what remains was still a Pro Bowl experience. Many household names made great plays resulting in a game that was objectively “entertaining”.

One of the more debated and discussed subplots was the presence of Shedeur Sanders. The former Colorado and Jackson State standout was a focus of attention. He was a significant focus even by ESPN. Who tweeted an interesting fact about HBCU quarterbacks in the Pro Bowl. 

Shedeur Sanders is the first former HBCU QB (Jackson State) to play in the Pro Bowl since Steve McNair (Alcorn State) in 2005 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ePckgllBRH

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) February 3, 2026

The largest aspect of his Pro Bowl notoriety came from two established groups that have driven most of the Shedeur discourse since draft day. Shedeur’s established fans vs those who see him as less than a realistic NFL quarterback. 

The Shedeur Pro Bowl discussion comes down to a simple concept. The NFL All-Star event isn’t what it used to be. His fans did their part giving him one of the largest fan votes in recent memory. Also, eight players ahead of him opted out or are too injured to play. The question is not if his stats merit the invite, the question should be, despite his season stat line, what would he do with the opportunity?

Conservative and measured early in the game

Per game notes, Shedeur Sanders finished the Pro Bowl going 18 of 22 for a shade over 230 yards passing, two touchdowns and two interceptions. That stat line overall would compare as the second-best stat line of his 2025 season. The first being against Tennessee when he threw for 364 yards, three touchdowns to one interception.

The completion percentage (bear in mind this is flag football with only one pass rusher and a pass clock) would have been his best as a pro by almost 10 percentage points (vs PIT he had a 73.9 completion rate; Tuesday he was a shade over 81%).

Some of Shedeur's highlight plays were noteworthy even when compared to the other Pro Bowl quarterbacks. While Burrow stole the show early, Dak Prescott and Jalen Hurts were almost a tandem pair, but Shedeur provided some moments of his own.

Early on, Shedeur was keeping most passes relatively conservative. Fifteen yards to Chase, 11 to Tyler Warren, five to Chase again, then coach Steve Young and offensive coordinator Michael Vick started getting Bolles in the mix. After a touchdown pass to Bolles was called off due to a penalty, Shedeur would find Bolles two more times. A touchdown and a 2pt conversion.

Adding chunk plays after the first possession

On his second possession, Shedeur began to open it up a little.  Scrambling to his right, Shedeur finds arguably his favorite target Nico Collins for a 25 yard gain. Then A 23 yard pass to Tee Higgins. Then came the redemption touchdown pass to Bolles.

During his third possession Shedeur started by going back to Collins for another 20 yard gain. On the next play, the NFC sent RB Jahmir Gibbs on a blitz (that is not a typo). Shedeur side steps that rush, tucked it and ran.

While he easily got the first down yardage, Shedeur kept running yet stopped short after it seemed he couldn’t feel his left flag. He would get called for a “Flag Guarding” penalty that could’ve been a rushing touchdown had he not hesitated.

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On first and goal from the 20, Shedeur finds Collins again, this time running it in for a touchdown. At that point in the game Shedeur had let a few passes fly and it was getting noticed by the announce team.

“I will say this, even though it’s the Pro Bowl, but the ball does fly off Shedeur’s hands”, Dan Orlovsky said.

After that drive, Shedeur was interviewed on the sidelines by Laura Rutledge who asked him about the “Flag Guarding” penalty and if he was trying to guard the flag on his run. “Naw, I was just thinking like, don’t step on the Primes” Shedeur said. Referring to the brand new Nike Air Diamond Turf 2 that many players wore and released on Saturday.

Not perfect, but a solid performance in year one

Shedeur’s final possession started off well but ended badly. On back-to-back plays, Shedeur threw 27 yards just beyond the outstretched hands of Collins, then another 28-yard pass to Courtland Sutton. Hoping to score the go ahead touchdown, Shedeur got a little risky playing against the NFL's best.

Facing pressure, Shedeur threw a very lofty pass to the back corner of the end zone. Intended for Sutton, but it was Nahshon Wright of the Bears who caught it. That turnover opened the door for the NFC to make it a closer game. By the end, the NFC pulled away by more than one touchdown.

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Shedeur’s performance was exactly what it should have been. A young NFL player having a good time around other great NFL players. It wasn’t an incredible Pro Bowl performance, but it was as good as it needed to be. A nice experience before he begins competing for the starting quarterback job in 2026 for the Cleveland Browns under new head coach Todd Monken. 

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