WR Ja’Marr Chase brought some of his 2024 magic to the most magical place on Earth Sunday, scoring three touchdowns for the AFC Team in the 2025 NFL Pro Bowl Games in Orlando. The NFC overcame Chase’s herculean efforts to win 76-63.
AFC head coach Peyton Manning joked before kickoff that Bengals QB Joe Burrow would play the entire game, something never seen before in the Pro Bowl.
“It’s in Joe we trust, Joe Burrow will be the difference today” Manning told ESPN. “I got him, and I got a guy named Ja’Marr Chase… This is Joe Burrow time.”
Burrow didn’t play the entire 2025 NFL Pro Bowl Games Flag Football Championship game like Manning hoped, subbing out after the first quarter.
The AFC entered Sunday trailing 14-7 after the results of Thursday’s Skills Showdown, meaning Burrow and Chase had their work cut out for them in flag football.
“The wrath of Burrow begins,” ESPN analyst Scott Van Pelt said as Burrow took the field for his first possession.
Burrow wasted no time dissecting the seven-man defense, finding Raiders TE Brock Bowers and Texans WR Nico Collins on his first two attempts and easily moving down the 50-yard field. After a scramble eerily similar to his touchdown run against the Giants on Sunday Night Football put the AFC near the goal line, Burrow found Chase for the score.
As Burrow subbed out, Chase continued his strong first half with a deep catch from Steelers QB Russell Wilson. The AFC trailed 39-25 at halftime.
Chase started the second half like he ended the first half, hauling in a pass from a non-Burrow QB. This time, it was Patriots rookie Drake Maye finding Chase.
Later in the quarter, Bengals WR coach and AFC playcaller Troy Walters dialed up another play for his playmaker: Maye hit Chase deep for a 29-yard touchdown, the Triple Crown winner’s second score of the day.
DE Trey Hendrickson competed in Tug-of-War between the third and fourth quarters, anchoring an AFC unit of linemen. The NFC added six more points in the Tug-of-War event, trying to put the game out of reach.
Chase wasn’t done showing out for the Orlando crowd, though. Midway through the fourth quarter, he caught his third touchdown from his third quarterback of the day, as Wilson fired a full-field pass to Chase for six. Chase hit a backflip in celebration.
10/10 @Real10jayy__ #ProBowlGames pic.twitter.com/F8xyjWBzrc
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) February 2, 2025
Walters dug deep into his bag of tricks as the clock wound down, calling up a double pass play: Wilson tossed it to Chase behind the line-of-scrimmage, who then threw it back to Wilson, who then found former Bengal and current Texan Joe Mixon for the long touchdown.
Despite the loss, the Bengals players enjoyed their week in Orlando. Chase, in his fourth Pro Bowl appearance, said on the ESPN broadcast he loves getting to know players from both conferences he never met before.
“I love Orlando,” Chase told ESPN. “I love the Pro Bowl.”
Is @JoeyB faster than @Patrickqueen_ ? 👀😂#ProBowlGames pic.twitter.com/e8cn2fbLzs
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) February 2, 2025
Burrow, Chase and Hendrickson will have one more week to remember 2024, as the 2025 NFL Honors take place Thursday, February 6. Burrow is nominated for NFL Most Valuable Player, Offensive Player of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year, Chase is up for OPOY and Hendrickson is a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year.
The trio became the first three players from the same team to lead the league in passing, receiving and sacks in the same season in 2024.
