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The Pro Bowl 2024 selections are in and, as is customary, Patrick Mahomes made the list as one of the quarterbacks. However, where in previous years this would not have been an issue, this year the Chiefs star has not met the standards. Some say that there were other more worthy candidates for this nomination.
But he is not the only one with whom NFL fans could have some concerns. Some others look equally suprising. Here are the biggest head-scratchers from Pro Bowl 2024.
#5 - Sauce Gardner, CB, New York Jets
Sauce Gardner has been phenomenal for the New York Jets in an otherwise poor season for the franchise. However, that does not make him the best candidate for the Pro Bowl 2024 nomination.
The cornerbacks chosen from the AFC are him along with Jalen Ramsey, Pat Surtain and Denzel Ward. Let us also include someone who has been left out, like L'Jarius Sneed of the Kansas City Chiefs. If we consider these five, Sauce Gardner is the only one who does not have a single interception this season. Ward and Sneed have two apiece, Ramsey has three and Pat Surtain has one.
#4 - Minkah Fitzpatrick, S, Pittsburgh Steelers
Minkah Fitzpatrick has been a great servant for the Pittsburgh Steelers and is still playing at a high level. However, there are others who were more worthy of a Pro Bowl 2024 nomination.
The Steelers safety was chosen along with Justin Simmons and Kyle Hamilton from the AFC. Meanwhile, players like Geno Stone was left out. If we compare all four, we will see that he is the only one without an interception. Simmons has three picks, Hamilton has four and Stone has seven.
If we look at total tackles, Hamilton has 81, Stone has 68 and Simmons has 67. Fitzpatrick only has 64. He also does not have a single sack as Hamilton and Simmons do. In mitigation, he played only 10 games this season. But in the Pro Bowl, overall record should matter more rather than partial impact during the season.
#3 - Budda Baker, S, Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals have had a terrible year. Budda Baker has been among the few positives in their season. But none of that justifies him being in the Pro Bowl ahead of some others.
Jaquan Brisker, for example, provided proof on his own X account. The Chicago Bears safety bristled at being left out of the Pro Bowl 2024 and re-upped a post on the social media platform, formerly known as Twitter, that brought the receipts.
Budda Baker has 53 solo tackles this year compared to Brisker's 62. The Cardinals safety also has no pass deflections, interceptions or forced fumbles. The Bears player has nine, one and two respectively. It seems surprising that Baker has made the cut this year and Brisker has not.
#2 - Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams
The most important and contentious position in football is always the quarterback. The Los Angeles Rams know it after they traded away Jared Goff to the Detroit Lions to acquire Matthew Stafford. The Super Bowl-winner has been coming to form of late and has got the Rams back into the playoffs after missing out last season.
But "late" is the operative word in the sentence above. While he has been good recently, over the whole season, he did not deserve to be among the top NFC quarterbacks along with Brock Purdy and Dak Prescott.
One point of comparison can be with Jalen Hurts; the Eagles quarterback, who has not made the Pro Bowl 2024. He has 4,404 total yards and 38 touchdowns. Matthew Stafford, on the other hand, has 24 touchdowns and 4,030 total yards. With one game to go in the season, the Rams quarterback is down 14 scores against his Philadelphia counterpart and more than 350 yards short.
Their league positions reflect the same as well. Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams cannot finish with more than 10 wins this season even if they defeat the San Francisco 49ers in their last game. The Philadelphia Eagles already have 11 wins. Recency bias seems to have snuck Matthew Stafford in.
#1 - Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
If we were asked the question who is the best quarterback in the league right now, our answer will probably be Patrick Mahomes. He has two Super Bowls, two championship MVP awards and two league MVP award on his resume. But has been the third-best quarterback in the AFC this year? No.
Patrick Mahomes joined Lamar Jackson and Tua Tagovailoa as their conference representatives in Pro Bowl 2024. The likes of Josh Allen and C.J. Stroud were left out.
Patrick Mahomes has 27 total touchdowns and 14 interceptions. The Bills quarterback leads the league with 42 touchdowns and a similar figure in picks with 16. The Texans player has 24 touchdowns and just five interceptions and has played two fewer games than the Chiefs star. In fact, keeping to the AFC, even Russell Wilson and Justin Herbert have a better passer rating than Patrick Mahomes' 92.6.
The only knock on Allen and Stroud could be that Patrick Mahomes has wrapped up a playoff spot for the Chiefs while they have not. But Buffalo fans could counter that they have the same 10-6 record as Kansas City and just happen to be in a stronger division in the AFC East with the Miami Dolphins. Ultimately, though, the best answer to such snubs are best delivered by winning the Super Bowl.
