San Francisco 49ers players led Pro Bowl voting in 13 of the 20 possible categories.
49ers players came in second five times, and in three of those five occasions they held the No. 1 and No. 2 spot. 16 49ers players had more votes at their position than a player from another team. The Miami Dolphins had the second most first-place spots as they had four players leading their respective categories.
The Baltimore Ravens, who are just behind the 49ers with the second-highest odds to win the Super Bowl, had zero players leading their respective category. MVP favorite Lamar Jackson finished seventh among quarterbacks in fan pro bowl voting.
49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, who was just outdueled by Jackson in the week before last, had the most Pro Bowl votes of any player. Out of the players that received the top-five most votes, San Francisco accounted for three of them. There were 20 49ers players that ended up in the top-five at their respective position.
The rosters will be announced at 8 p.m. on NFL Network as the fan vote accounts for just a third of the process. Players and coaches make up the other portion of the process.
The San Francisco 49ers have one of the most talented rosters in the NFL
Although Lamar Jackson pulled away in the MVP race after his five-touchdown performance against the Miami Dolphins in week 17, the 49ers had two players on their team in contention for the award.
Purdy and running back Christian McCaffrey were both on the short list of MVP candidates for a large portion of the season. McCaffrey’s appearance on the short list is especially impressive considering the MVP is an award that is typically only given to QBs. Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was the last non-QB to win the award in 2012.
The 49ers also have what is considered to be one of the best offensive lineman in the game in tackle Trent Williams.
Kyle Shanahan heaps praise on Trent Williams:
“It helps you win when you have probably the best left tackle ever… When the ball is snapped he looks like he’s 23… I just feel very fortunate to have him on our team.” pic.twitter.com/zxo9d7GsMZ
— KNBR (@KNBR) December 31, 2023
Trent Williams…the best player in the league pic.twitter.com/D5otVNSIvn
— 🏆Gourmet Nick Mullins🏆 (12-4) (@Niner5Ever) December 26, 2023
The 49ers defense is also held together by one of the best players at his position, linebacker Fred Warner. Warner is complemented by one of the best pass rushers in the game in Nick Bosa.
Nick Bosa on Fred Warner:
He’s the best in the world, and it’s not close.” pic.twitter.com/xynNzzt1g7
— KNBR (@KNBR) October 9, 2023
FRED WARNER IS THE BEST LINEBACKER IVE EVER SEEN
— 🗣️ (@19solutionz) October 9, 2023
Fred Warner is the best this game has ever seen
— Alex (@NotSadNinersFan) October 9, 2023
The 49ers players will be in a different version of the Pro Bowl if they aren’t in the Super Bowl
After 2022, commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL decided to make changes to the Pro Bowl. The Pro Bowl used to involve a full-speed football game between the games best players, but they all slowly decided to ease up on each other to avoid injury. It became a far cry from what it used to be when players like Sean Taylor were laying out punters.
Sean Taylor with the most iconic Pro Bowl highlight of all time pic.twitter.com/vc64BUfFMV
— Football Is Life (@FootbaIl_Tweets) February 6, 2022
Physicality is something that is inherent to the game of football, and to play such a game when the players don’t want to be physical makes it unwatchable. In an article from ESPN, Goodell explained why he moved away from the past ways of the Pro Bowl.
“The game doesn’t work,” Goodell said in May 2022. “We need to find another way to celebrate the players.”
The NFL now hosts a flag football game between the AFC and NFC’s best players as well as a tug-of-war game between linemen that are not as involved in flag football. The NFL also brought back skills competitions from years past.
😲🤔🏈 Michael Vick airmailing it at the 2006 Pro Bowl Skills competition #RiseUp #ProBowl pic.twitter.com/LeA6I79xKw
— Fanatics View (@fanaticsview) January 26, 2017
The 49ers are currently Super Bowl favorites and if the betting odds turn out to be true, their domination in Pro Bowl voting will not matter. If they don’t make the Super Bowl, they will likely be the most represented team in the Pro Bowl, even if their ridiculous 13 out of 20 first-place finishes don’t stand after player and coach input.
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