# NFL Playoff Thread 2026

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoff-thread-2026/1026372>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Tags:** football-nfl\
**Created:** [January 5, 2026, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoff-thread-2026/1026372 "2026-01-05T16:53:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 507

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**Author:** ![Frosted\_Glass](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frosted_glass/32/3926_2.png) [@Frosted\_Glass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frosted_Glass)\
**Post date:** [January 26, 2026, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-playoff-thread-2026/1026372/507 "2026-01-26T22:51:27Z")

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This is so silly but It feels like the fate of the Pro Bowl was sealed several years ago (as you pointed out 😆):

> [@NFL 2022: Conference Championship Week](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2022-conference-championship-week/978794/120):
>
> So, the Pro Bowl is pretty much a joke, and the league finally did away with the game itself, though there are still going to be a bunch of competitions for the “Pro Bowl Games” this week, including a flag football game. That said, adding to the “joke” part of it is that Ravens backup quarterback Tyler Huntley, who started four late-season games while starter Lamar Jackson was injured, was named to the Pro Bowl roster today. Huntley threw all of two TDs in his limited duty (and ran for another…

My first reaction to anything in the news about Shedeur or Deion is always “rage bait”. People love being angry about them and that’s a great way to drive traffic. But the Pro Bowl needs all the buzz it can get because I can’t remember the last Pro Bowl I cared enough about to even watch.

The big surprise for me is the difference between the ESPN articles about Huntley and Sanders. Even without reading the byline you can tell that recent article came off the wire while the other was written in house. This SI article does a better job of explaining the situation while expressing the same level of frustrated confusion:

> **[Shedeur Sanders Named to Pro Bowl as Replacement in Mind-Boggling Decision](https://www.si.com/nfl/browns/shedeur-sanders-named-to-pro-bowl-as-replacement)**
>
> This is pretty crazy.

Back when I was a bartender, customers only asked for the Pro Bowl if there was absolutely nothing else on. Bull riding, Golf, and Tennis were more frequently requested and that was when I was bartending in Pittsburgh before they switched the format.

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