The Pittsburgh Steelers lost a showdown to the New England Patriots for AFC supremacy on Sunday night, but they were atop the pack when it came to filling out the Pro Bowl roster.
Led by offensive standouts Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell, the respective NFL leaders in receiving and rushing, the Steelers had a league-high eight selections for the 2018 Pro Bowl, which were announced on Tuesday.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, injured linebacker Ryan Shazier, kicker Chris Boswell and offensive linemen Alejandro Villanueva, guard David DeCastro and center Maurkice Pouncey filled out the roster for Pittsburgh, which is tied with the Patriots for the AFC's best record at 11-3.
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The Philadelphia Eagles, who own the league's best record at 12-2, shared top honors in the NFC with the New Orleans Saints, each getting six Pro Bowl selections.
Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz, who leads the NFL with 33 touchdown passes but is done for the season due to a torn ACL, was joined by tight end Zach Ertz, defensive lineman Fletcher Cox, strong safety Malcolm Jenkins and offensive linemen Lane Johnson and Brandon Brooks among Philadelphia's contingent.
New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees earned his 11th Pro Bowl selection and was joined by running backs Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara, the latter one of four rookies on the squad.
Quarterback Tom Brady was selected to his 13th Pro Bowl and was joined by star tight end Rob Gronkowski on New England's four-man contingent.
The Los Angeles Rams featured the fourth-most selections with five, with defensive lineman Aaron Donald earning his fourth selection and running back Todd Gurley receiving his second honour.
Rams quarterback Jared Goff is a first alternate on the squad and a likely replacement for Wentz. Goff and Wentz were the top two picks in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Rounding out the rookies were Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt, Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore and Arizona Cardinals special teamer Budda Baker.
Other notable selections were Cardinals wideout Larry Fitzgerald, who matched Brees with his 11th Pro Bowl berth, and Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers and Baltimore Ravens Terrell Suggs, who each earned their seventh honor.
Three other players were selected to their seventh Pro Bowls - Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green and Patriots special teams standout Matthew Slater.
The Pro Bowl will be played on January 28 - one week before the Super Bowl.
