With the 2014 regular season coming to a close, we can start looking ahead to Super Bowl XLIX and all the festivities leading up to the big game.
One of the main events taking place in Glendale this year prior to the Super Bowl is the Pro Bowl, which will be held at University of Phoenix Stadium on Jan. 25, 2015 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN, one week before Super Bowl Sunday.
So, without further ado...
Tight end most likely to be a nuisance at Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory
Martellus Bennett, CHI: 77 receptions, 821 yards, 6 touchdowns
Jimmy Graham, NO: 68 receptions, 695 yards, 9 touchdowns
Rob Gronkowski, NE: 73 receptions, 997 yards, 10 touchdowns
Greg Olsen, CAR: 71 receptions, 850 yards, 6 touchdowns
All of these tight ends are worthy of a trip to the Pro Bowl (and Willy Wonka's Factory), having been a nuisance to opposing defenders all year. Bennett and Gronkowski in particular are having standout seasons. Gronkowski is coming off knee surgery for a torn ACL and finally seems to be back in "Gronk Smash" form. He is on pace to have his best season since 2011, which also happens to be the last year he played a full 16 games. Bennett has been a bright spot in an otherwise stagnant Bears offense this year. He's already put up career highs in receptions, yards and touchdowns. Let's see Augustus Gloop do that.
Quarterback most likely to be cast as Captain America in a Marvel movie
Tom Brady, NE: 3,560 passing yards, 30 touchdowns, 7 interceptions, 100.2 passer rating
Andrew Luck, IND: 4,305 passing yards, 36 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, 98.8 passer rating
Peyton Manning, DEN: 3,910 passing yards, 36 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 105.7 passer rating
Aaron Rodgers, GB: 3,652 passing yards, 35 touchdowns, 3 interceptions, 119.0 passer rating
The quarterback position is all about leadership and showing poise in crunch time. For teams lucky enough to have franchise quarterbacks who exude this type of confidence and leadership, a postseason trip is a perennial expectation for fans. Perhaps no four quarterbacks better exemplify these qualities than Brady, Luck, Manning and Rodgers. While we've come to expect excellence from Brady and Manning on a yearly basis, Luck and Rodgers are having career years. Luck is on pace to throw for over 5,200 yards and Rodgers, at the moment, has 35 touchdowns and just three interceptions. For what it's worth, 18 times this season a quarterback has thrown 3+ interceptions in one game.
Wide receiver most likely to be in a boy band
Antonio Brown, PIT: 105 receptions, 1,375 yards, 11 touchdowns
T.Y. Hilton, IND: 78 receptions, 1,295 yards, 7 touchdowns
Julio Jones, ATL: 93 receptions, 1,428 yards, 6 touchdowns
Jordy Nelson, GB: 78 receptions, 1,265 yards, 12 touchdowns
They say that wide receiver is the diva position of the NFL, so it seems only natural to create a superlative centered around a boy band. T.Y. Hilton already has a fancy little touchdown dance in honor of his name. If you had to pick a lead man for this bunch, though, Antonio Brown would be your guy. Brown has 29 straight games with 5+ receptions and 50+ receiving yards, which is an NFL record. Hilton would be another strong candidate considering he has 16 career 100-yard receiving games, which is the second most in a player's first three seasons behind only Randy Moss (19).
Defensive player most likely to fight a raptor at Jurassic Park
Elvis Dumervil, BAL: 30 tackles, 16.0 sacks
Justin Houston, KC: 56 tackles, 16.0 sacks
Luke Kuechly, CAR: 132 tackles, 3.0 sacks
J.J. Watt, HOU: 58 tackles, 14.5 sacks, 1 INT
As great as all these players have been this season, if you needed someone to fight a raptor to get out of Jurassic Park, you'd look no further than J.J. Watt. Watt is having a season for the ages. He is the first player with three offensive touchdowns and two defensive touchdowns in a single season since Joe Golding did it for the Boston Yanks in 1948. He is also the only player in NFL history with three touchdown receptions, an interception returned for a touchdown and a fumble recovery touchdown in the same season. Watt has been a beast among men, accounting for 50 percent of the Texans' sacks this season. A raptor would think twice before wandering into J.J. Watt's kitchen.
Colin J. Liotta is a Digital Features Editor at NFL.com. Follow him on Twitter @TheSportsHero.
