Thomas Davis helps NFC win Pro Bowl Skills Showdown

ORLANDO – Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis and nine other representatives of the NFC banded together to beat the AFC in the inaugural Pro Bowl Skills Showdown. The action started with the Best Hands Drill, a competition the NFC lost by two-tenths of a second when Miami wide receiver Jarvis Landry bested former LSU teammate, receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. Next was the Power Relay challenge, and that’s where Davis got involved. Making his first appearance in a Pro Bowl event, Davis began the relay by lifting a 250-pound wall seven feet in under 2.9 seconds. Next, he joined Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy to pull two 300-pound blocks 10 yards. Eagles center Jason Kelce joined the pair to push a 700-pound sled 15 yards, and Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott completed the drill by sprinting 40 yards and diving through a Styrofoam wall. Davis and company got two tries at the relay, as the sled’s track had an obstruction preventing it from advancing. The NFC took advantage of their second chance, beating the AFC by four seconds to level the event at 1-1. Beckham won the NFC’s second straight event, the Drone Drop. A ball was dropped from 85, 100 and 125 feet by drone above two receivers from each conference. Known for his incredible catching abilities, the Giants wideout was the only one capable of corralling the dropped ball from the highest drone. The fourth event was the Precision Passing competition, which required quarterbacks to hit multiple moving targets. Quarterback Drew Brees of the rival Saints was unable to surpass Chargers Philip Rivers’ 20-point effort, allowing the AFC to tie the score going into the dodgeball finale. Each conference fielded 10 players for the game, and the NFC quickly proved superior at the three-minute schoolyard contest. They forced the AFC to call their timeout after eliminating four players in the opening 1:14. Davis was the third NFC player eliminated from the game, ejected with 52 seconds remaining in regulation when Denver’s Chris Harris, Jr. caught the ball Davis had thrown at him. With Harris soon eliminated, that left Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton as the lone AFC representative. Impressively, he fought off 5-on-1 odds to force overtime, but the remaining NFC players proved too strong and earned the Pro Bowl Skills Showdown title. Davis will retake the field Sunday night for the 2016 Pro Bowl at Camping World Stadium at his usual linebacker position.