Pro Bowl 2018 live results: Score updates and highlights from NFL all-star Game

Hey, it’s kind of a football game!

So maybe you don’t actually want to watch the Pro Bowl, but you’re still curious to see who breaks out the best sack dance, or who takes Keegan-Michael Key’s touchdown celebration advice, or you want to check to make sure no one tears an ACL (please now). Well good news: we’re here to keep you updated all game long. And we’re gonna try to have some fun.

Drew Brees and Russell Wilson headline the NFC roster, while the Steelers’ Killer B’s lead the AFC.

Second quarter

NFC 17: AFC 3: Alex Smith is in at QB for the AFC now, and he’s doing what he suddenly started doing this year: taking deep shots down the field. Smith found Jarvis Landry for the AFC’s biggest play so far, a 49-yard completion.

Chances that Landry and Smith will each be playing for a different team next year? Pretty good.

A few plays later, Smith found a wide-open Patrick Peterson in the end zone. The problem, of course, is that Pat P is a cornerback for the NFC. So with two minutes left, the NFC gets another opportunity to add to its lead.

NFC 17: AFC 3: Ben Roethlisberger tried to find teammate Antonio Brown down the field, but Harrison Smith snagged it in the air for the interception ... which turned into a pick-six because the AFC offense had ZERO interest in tackling. I mean, it is the Pro Bowl. You get it.

NFC 10: AFC 3: The NFC took advantage of the turnover, adding a field goal after the drive didn’t go very far in the rain.

But at least the fans are having fun!

NFC 7: AFC 3: The NFC’s rain-soaked drive went nowhere fast, but then Tyreek Hill misplayed the punt return for our first stupidly exciting moment of the game. Budda Baker ran the fumble in, but the touchdown didn’t count because they couldn’t advance the muff.

Still, it’s the NFC’s ball again. This time, Russell Wilson is under center.

First quarter: NFC 7, AFC 3

The NFC gets the ball back to end the first quarter, and now it’s a downpour. Must be Florida, must be the Pro Bowl:

NFC 7, AFC 3: Trickeration! Antonio Brown goes to throw ...

And nearly gets Keenan Allen killed.

And then Kwon Alexander jacks up Jack Doyle.

No injuries yet though, phew.

Xavier Rhodes made a terrific touchdown-saving swat against Brown, and Ben Roethlisberger and the AFC offense stalled. Another Steeler, kicker Chris Boswell, got them on the board, though.

NFC 7, AFC 0: The first drive wasn’t too exciting, except the ending: Drew Brees, Saints QB, hits Adam Thielen, Vikings WR, for a touchdown strike. Nice to know that there aren’t TOO many hard feelings after the Minnesota Miracle.

The attempt to block the XP was about what you’d expect from the Pro Bowl:

Brees methodically led the entire drive, going 7 of 8 for 68 yards. And we even got a fullback run on fourth-and-1.

MeanwhileMatt Hasselbeck auditions to join Sean McDonough for an all-bald Monday Night Football broadcast team (as Jon Gruden and his center part weeps somewhere):

What you need to know to watch

The Pro Bowl, at its best, is technically football.

The well-intentioned exhibition has been a staple of lazy Sundays in late January and early February for decades. Each winter, it gives some of the league’s top players the opportunity to hopefully not injure themselves in the sunny confines of Hawaii or, most recently, Orlando, Fla. While this is a rich tradition for the league, it’s slowly been supplanted by an even more important event — the annual rejecting of the Pro Bowl bids.

Several honorees have made it a point to turn down their prestigious invitations to the theme-park capital of the world in order to do literally anything else instead. In 2017, players like Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell, Antonio Brown, Donald Penn, Khalil Mack, Jadeveon Clowney, Aaron Rodgers, Larry Fitzgerald, Jordan Reed, Jason Peters, T.J. Lang, Aaron Donald, Ryan Kerrigan, and Pat McAfee all declined to play, citing injury, exhaustion, or the desire to never visit central Florida again.

A few of those guys will play this year, including the Steelers’ Killer Bs — Roethlisberger, Bell, and Brown. Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin is in charge of the AFC sideline, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that the Steelers have more players (nine) participating in the Pro Bowl than any other team.

The Saints will be represented by seven players, including Drew Brees, Michael Thomas, Alvin Kamara, Mark Ingram, and Marshon Lattimore. Not coincidentally, Sean Payton is the coach for the NFC.

The 2018 stream of “NOs” began with the 10 New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles who will selfishly skip the trip in order to prepare for Super Bowl 52. Derek Carr took advantage of a 6-9 record as a starter to supplant Tom Brady on the AFC roster. Jared Goff, who had a significantly better season, will take Carson Wentz’s spot.

Other honorees who won’t be able to attend the 2018 game include DeAndre Hopkins, A.J. Green, Philip Rivers, Joey Bosa, Julio Jones, Luke Kuechly, Donald, Fitzgerald, Mack, and Clowney.

So maybe only about 60 percent of the NFL’s biggest stars will appear in this year’s Pro Bowl, but it’s still a strong lineup. Besides the robust contingents from the Steelers and Saints, Russell Wilson, Keenan Allen, Melvin Ingram, Harrison Smith, Todd Gurley, Earl Thomas, Kareem Hunt, Von Miller, and Jalen Ramsey are all slated to play.

This year’s game will kick off at 3 p.m. ET, airing on both ESPN and ABC. A live stream is available at WatchESPN.

Pregame reading

• The Pro Bowl Skills Showdown gave us a surprisingly intense dodgeball battle:

It was all NFC in that game too with AFC players dropping like flies until only Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry was left against Washington’s Ryan Kerrigan, Green Bay’s Mike Daniels and Carolina kicker Graham Gano. Even a rabid wouldn’t have a chance.

But then Landry got Kerrigan — albeit with a little bit of rules controversy; Kerrigan thought caught a Landry throw, but dropped his own ball in the process which is an elimination.

It was two-on-one after the stoppage to clear up the Kerrigan situation and it quickly turned into a ridiculously fun duel between Landry and Gano for all the marbles.

• The NFL will honor the undefeated 2017 UCF Knights at the Pro Bowl:

While the NFL probably isn’t wading into the national title debate, the Knights sure don’t mind getting the words “national championship, undefeated season” in there one more time. They continue to carry themselves like, well, champions. They paid out championship bonuses owed to coaches, hung a title banner, and had a parade. At least one major national title selector actually has the Knights at No. 1 as well, so it’s not just UCF brass blowing smoke.