The Pittsburgh Steelers defense has played extremely well for most of the season so most reading this probably won’t be surprised to learn today that four players from that unit are currently the leading Pro Bowl vote-getters for their respective AFC positions with one full week of voting now complete.
On Wednesday, the NFL released the first set of Pro Bowl fan voting results for this year and they show Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward (36,126), outside linebacker T.J. Watt (46,686), inside linebacker Devin Bush (28,619) and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (44,340) as the leaders at their respective positions. Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey also is the leading AFC vote-gettter at his position.
Heyward, who has already been a Pro Bowler twice in 2017 and 2018, is having a great season to date as he’s registered 49 total tackles, 5.5 sacks, four passes defensed and a forced fumble entering Week 12.
As for Watt, he leads the Steelers in sacks with 10.5 to go along with 35 total tackles, an interception, four passes defensed, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. He made the Pro Bowl for the first time last season.
Bush, the Steelers first-round draft pick this year, leads all defensive rookies in total tackles entering Week 12 with 74. The Michigan product has also registered a sack, two interceptions, four passes defensed and four fumble recoveries so far this season.
Fitzpatrick, on the other hand, has been huge addition for the Steelers defense since being acquired by the team in a Week 3 trade with the Miami Dolphins. The former first-round draft pick out of Alabama has five interceptions, eight defensed passes, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in the eight games he’s played with the Steelers this season. He’s scored two defensive touchdowns for the Steelers to date and has recorded 36 total tackles since arriving in Pittsburgh.
Pouncey is already a seven-time Pro Bowler and has been a selection in each of the last three years.
The leading overall Pro Bowl vote-getters as of Wednesday’s update are Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (146,171), Kansas City chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (116,325), Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (115,370), Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook (106,167) and Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey (100,218)
Per the NFL’s Wednesday release, fan voting for the 2020 Pro Bowl presented by Verizon will continue online and on web-enabled mobile phones at NFL.com/ProBowlVote until Thursday, December 12.
During the final two weeks of 2020 Pro Bowl voting – November 28-December 12 – fans will also be able to vote directly on Twitter. To cast such a vote, fans should tweet the first and last name of the player, the player’s official Twitter handle, or a hashtag including the player’s first and last name. All three of these methods must include the hashtag: #ProBowlVote. Voting via Twitter is in addition to the online ballot at NFL.com/ProBowlVote, which will be available throughout the entire voting period.
New this year is the Pro Bowl Vote Sweepstakes – once a fan casts their vote, they will have an opportunity to enter for a chance to win one of the following prizes:
- A pair of tickets for an NFL game during the 2020 season (5 pairs available)
- Matthew Stafford signed football (4 available)
- Travis Kelce signed football (3 available)
- Le’Veon Bell signed football (2 available)
- Sam Darnold signed football (1 available)
The Pro Bowl Vote Sweepstakes is open to those that are a permanent resident of the United States or the District of Columbia and are eighteen years of age or older. Full sweepstakes rules can be found at NFL.com/PBVoteSweeps/Rules.
The 2020 Pro Bowl presented by Verizon, which kicks off at 3:00 PM ET, will be televised live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and simulcast on ABC and Disney XD – the third time the game will be available on both broadcast and cable networks.
Tickets to the game are on sale at NFL.com/ProBowlOnSale. Fans in attendance can watch and cheer on the Pro Bowl players as they enter the stadium on the Pro Bowl Red Carpet, bringing them closer than ever to the NFL’s all-stars. Concession deals and “Kid Zone” activities will be available inside the stadium. Additionally, fans will be able to enjoy post-game fireworks to conclude the celebration.Players for the game are determined by the consensus votes of fans, players and coaches. Each group’s vote counts one-third toward determining the 88 All-Star players who will be selected to the Pro Bowl. NFL players and coaches will cast their votes on Friday, December 13.
Pro Bowl rosters will be announced on Tuesday, December 17 live on NFL Network’s Pro Bowl special “NFL Total Access: Pro Bowl Players Revealed” at 8:00 PM ET. The NFL is the only sports league that combines voting by fans, coaches and players to determine its All-Star teams. It was also the first professional sports league to offer online all-star voting in 1995.
For the fourth consecutive year, Pro Bowl Week festivities will take place at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort and across the Orlando area, bringing free experiences and activities to fans as well as an extraordinary number of events focused on commemorating all levels of football – from youth to high school to the NFL’s best. Some of the Pro Bowl Week events include: Pro Bowl Practices, Pro Bowl Skills Showdown, NFL FLAG Championships and Pro Bowl Experience.
Additionally, NFL Pro Bowl players will give back to the local Orlando community by participating in the Pro Bowl Community Huddle as part of the NFL Huddle for 100. To learn more about Huddle for 100 and how to get involved, visit www.nfl.com/100/huddlefor100
More information about these and all of the events taking place during Pro Bowl Week is available at ProBowl.com.
