Now that we have the Super Bowl participants set, the players on the Patriots and Falcons who were elected to the Pro Bowl will need to be replaced from the other 30 teams in the league.
That group includes Falcons kicker Matt Bryant, whose first trip to the Pro Bowl will be superseded by his first trip to a far more significant game. The NFC will still have a kicker named Matt on hand, however.
Lions kicker Matt Prater is the choice to replace Bryant and he’s coming off a very strong season. Prater was 31-of-36 on field goals during the regular season and made all seven of his tries from 50 yards or more. He also went 31-of-33 on extra points and made six kicks that won or tied games for the Lions with in the final four minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime.
Prater is the first Lions kicker to make the Pro Bowl since Jason Hanson in 2000 and will be making his second appearance in the game.