Tom Brady: Will he miss out on his 10th straight Pro Bowl nomination?

Thanks to increased competition in the AFC, Tom Brady might actually be left off this year’s Pro Bowl roster.

Among the many ridiculous records and feats star Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has accomplished over the years, his current streak of Pro Bowl nominations flies a bit under the radar.

Perhaps a big reason why is because despite being nominated a whopping 13 times, Brady has only actually played in the Pro Bowl twice – once in 2004 and once in 2001. Many of his absences can be attributed to the Patriots usually playing in the Super Bowl, but even in the years New England didn’t make it that far, Brady has bowed out from the exhibition all-star game to avoid meaningless injury.

But even if playing in the Pro Bowl doesn’t matter, being nominated to do so certainly does. Most of the greatest players in NFL history can be measured by the number of Pro Bowl nominations they received throughout their career, and Brady is no exception.

His 13 nominations are tied for second-most all-time. Only Merlin Olsen, Bruce Matthews, Tony Gonzalez, and Peyton Manning have more, each sitting in a four-way tie for first place at 14. Brady also has been named to the Pro Bowl nine times consecutively – a nomination this season would make it 10 straight.

If he wishes to join his former rival Manning atop that list, he has his work cut out for him over the final three weeks of the regular season. Indeed, for the first time since the 2008 season he missed with an ACL tear, Brady’s Pro Bowl candidacy appears in serious jeopardy.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has put the entire league on notice, staking his team to the best record in the AFC and leading the NFL in touchdown passes. Mahomes is not only the favorite to receive the first-team Pro Bowl nomination for an AFC quarterback; he’s also the favorite to win league MVP as well.

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers is the most likely recipient of the second-team honor. Rivers has undergone a true career resurgence in 2018 and has kept his team neck-and-neck with the Chiefs atop the NFL’s standings all season long.

The third and final AFC quarterback spot will probably come down to either Brady or Indianapolis Colts signal-caller Andrew Luck. Undoubtedly Brady has the more impressive career resume, but Luck is having the better season so far.

Luck is completing 67.7% of his passes and has already thrown for 3,759 yards, 34 touchdowns, and 13 picks for a quarterback rating of 99.2.

Brady is completing 65.6% of his passes for 3,700 yards, 23 touchdowns, eight interceptions, and a 98.2 quarterback rating.

If going off statistics alone, give Luck the edge through 14 weeks of play. If going off each team’s winning percentage, then Brady is the clear winner.

Let us know which quarterback you think deserves the Pro Bowl nomination in the comments section below!