NFC outlasts AFC in the Pro Bowl Games and presents the soon-to-be Olympic sport flag football

ORLANDO, Fla. (`) — All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill catches a pass over the middle and shows world-class speed en route to a touchdown.

Receiver Keenan Allen takes a lateral from CJ Stroud, bumps a defender to buy time before throwing across the field to Evan Engram in the left corner of the end zone.

The Pro Bowl Games concluded Sunday with a flag football game between the NFC and AFC stars, giving fans and a national television audience a glimpse of the future Olympic sport with such highly skilled athletes on the field.

“It was cool. A little bit of flag football. When it came to pads, we didn't really play hard,” Allen said. “It's still football. … You're out there running around with the guys who “We're the best talent in the NFL. It's fun to be out there.”

The NFC defeated the AFC 64-59 at Camping World Stadium. The final score was determined by combining the points from Sunday's game with the points earned by each conference over two days of skill challenges.

This was the second year for a reimagined format that replaced the traditional Pro Bowl tackling football game, which had declined in popularity over the previous decade.

The players and an announced audience of 55,709 viewers seemed to enjoy what has now largely become a televised event.

“I think it’s great,” said Stroud, who led the Houston Texans to the AFC South title and a playoff victory as a rookie this season. “People came and showed up and had a good time.”

Stroud had a chance to win the game at the end, but his final pass of the game – intended for Allen, a six-time Pro Bowl player for the Los Angeles Chargers, was broken up in the end zone.

“We really wanted to win,” Allen said. “We were just trying to make plays at the end.”

Flag football has been added to the Olympic program for the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, and the NFL is exploring the possibility of giving its players a chance to be part of Team USA when the sport makes its debut in four years.

Hill and Patrick Mahomes are the biggest stars who have expressed interest in participating in the Olympics.

Tampa Bay's Baker Mayfield came off the bench in the second half and won the Most Valuable Offensive Player award. Eli Manning coached the NFC and defeated his older brother Peyton Manning, who was also on the losing side as coach of the AFC a year ago in Las Vegas.

“It was pretty fun. I give it an 8 out of 10 because we didn’t win,” said Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II, who had an interception return for a touchdown. “But at the end of the day it was fun just being around football, the game we love, and being at a different level, playing flag, doing skills competitions and so on. It was pretty awesome.”

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