CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 18: Cornelius Washington #90 of the Chicago Bears stands on the sidelines in the first quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field on December 18, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
LAKE FOREST – With just three wins in the middle of December and a number of their regulars lost for the season due to injury, Tuesday’s disappointment was more of a foregone conclusion.
After all, how many members of the Bears could you think of that earned a nod as one of the NFL’s best in 2016?
So it wasn’t a surprise that when the 2017 Pro Bowl roster for the NFC was announced, no member of the team was on it.
This marks the second-straight season that the initial vote for the NFL’s All-Star Game came and went without a representative from the Chicago team.
There is still a possibility that a member of the team could find his way to the January 29th game to be held in Orlando, Florida should a player be forced out due to an injury or making the Super Bowl.
That’s how the team ended up getting one representative, offensive tackle Kyle Long, into the 2016 game. Now back at guard, Long won’t be able to make it four-straight Pro Bowls after being placed on Injured Reserve with an ankle injury on November 15th.
The Oakland Raiders, who clinched their first playoff berth since the 2002 season this past weekend, led all teams with seven selections to the game. Atlanta had the most selections in the NFC with six.
Unlike past years, this year’s game will be held at Camping World Stadium in Orlando instead of Aloha Stadium in Hawaii. The game will also return to a traditional AFC vs NFC format, ditching the previous drafting of the rosters by a single captain which took place the past three Pro Bowls.
