NFL 2022 Pro Bowl rules explained; What are the new Pro Bowl rules?

The 2022 Pro Bowl implemented the Spot and Choose method on Sunday as a way to improve and bring more attention to one of the more lackluster events in the NFL.

While many people wonder why the Pro Bowl, which takes place one week before the super Bowl, is even an NFL event, it is a game that showcases NFL’s top talent, as well as allows the league to experiment with potential rule changes.

This year, the NFL experimented with a few key changes during Sunday’s Pro Bowl at Allegiant Stadium, with the most notable called the “Spot and Choose” rule. 

Let’s walk you through what the Spot and Choose rule is, and all the other rule changes at the 2022 Pro Bowl.

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2022 Pro Bowl: The Spot and Choose rule

The Spot and Choose rule is as simple as it sounds; the team that wins the opening coin toss gets to choose between one of two things: choosing to play offense or defense or choosing where to spot the ball on the field.

With that said, when the team that wins the toss chooses offense, the other team chooses where the ball will be spotted. Meanwhile, the team that doesn’t win the coin toss gets an advantage since they can spot the ball inside the other team’s five-yard line.

And if the team that wins the toss chooses to place the ball, the other team will decide whether to play offense or defense.

It’s basically supposed to be a balancing act, where a team has to figure out where to put the ball and still be on offense, without being in the shadow of their own end-zone. The idea was taken from the Baltimore Ravens’ suggestion in 2021 on how to modify overtime.

Other 2022 Pro Bowl changes

The other changes we saw at the 2022 Pro Bowl was having no kickoffs. To better explain the new rule, after a score, the scoring team chooses one of two things: give the ball back to their opponent on their own 25-yard line, or attempt a fourth-and-15 from their own 25-yard line to try to keep the ball.

The other changes were related to timing the game. Instead of the play clock starting at 40, it started at 35 seconds as a way for the NFL to see how a shorter clock impacts on-field performance.

Why is the NFL testing the "Spot and Choose" method?

First, the NFL is testing out this rule in hopes to use it in overtime NFL games, especially after the anticlimactic ending of the Bills-Chiefs playoff game.

And second, the no kickoffs rule change was designed to test a potential alternative to onside kicks to cut down on the number of kickoffs in NFL games due to the constant injuries and concussions.