If the New England Patriots fail to reach the Super Bowl, they reportedly will be sending the franchise’s fewest amount of players to the Pro Bowl in a decade.
According to The Athletic’s Jeff Howe, just quarterback Tom Brady and cornerback Stephon Gilmore were selected to this season’s Pro Bowl. The last time New England sent just a pair of players was 2008, when Stephen Gostkowski and Wes Welker were the nominees.
The official announcement of all the Pro Bowl selections will be at 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
Brady is having a down year, but still sits in sixth in the NFL and third in the AFC in QBR. Nevertheless, it’s an impressive accomplishment for a 41-year-old quarterback to be considered his league’s version of an All-Star.
Gilmore, meanwhile, has been one of the league’s best in defending the pass, regularly neutralizing some of the NFL’s top wide receivers.
With just Brady and Gilmore getting the initial nod, it means at least a few deserving players were omitted (Trey Flowers comes to mind). But if the Patriots find themselves unable to make it to the Super Bowl for a third straight season, it would be reasonable to think maybe another player or two from New England would be considered as an alternate.
