3 Bengals voted to AFC team for Pro Bowl

Rookie wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase a starter for AFC team; Trey Hendrickson, Joe Mixon named as reserves
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase lines up against the Baltimore Ravens during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)

Credit: Gail Burton

Credit: Gail Burton

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase lines up against the Baltimore Ravens during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)

The Cincinnati Bengals had three players voted to the AFC team for this season’s Pro Bowl game. Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase made it as a starter and defensive end Trey Hendrickson and running back Joe Mixon also join him on the roster.

Five other Bengals were voted as alternates. Quarterback Joe Burrow and long snapper Clark Harris are second alternates, defensive end Sam Hubbard and defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi are fourth alternates and cornerback Mike Hilton is a fifth alternate.

Cincinnati didn’t have anyone voted in last year.

The 2022 Pro Bowl kicks off at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 6, and will be televised live from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev. on ABC, ESPN and ESPN Deportes.

“It’s a tremendous honor for our players to be recognized among the league’s best by their peers, coaches and fans,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said in a statement provided by the team. “Ja’Marr, Trey and Joe have had terrific seasons, and their contributions both on and off the field have been critical for us all year long. Those three, as well as our players who were voted as alternates, are major reasons we are in position to achieve our goals this season.”

Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) forces Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) to fumble the ball during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Credit: David Becker

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Credit: David Becker

Cincinnati (8-6) sits in first in the AFC North heading into a divisional clash with the Ravens (8-6) on Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium.

Chase, the Bengals’ 2021 first-round draft pick out of Louisiana State University (fifth overall), is the sixth Bengals rookie ever to be voted to the Pro Bowl at any position, following in the footsteps of wide receivers A.J. Green (2011), Cris Collinsworth (1981) and Isaac Curtis (1973), quarterback Andy Dalton (2011) and cornerback Lemar Parrish (1970).

He leads the team in receptions (61), receiving yards (1,038) and receiving touchdowns (10) -- the last of those already setting a franchise rookie record. He needs just seven more catches and 20 more yards to break the rookie receptions and receiving yards records. Chase also leads all NFL rookies in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.

Hendrickson, a fifth-year pro out of Florida Atlantic University, is in his first Bengals season after joining the team in March as an unrestricted free agent. He leads the team and ranks fifth leaguewide with 13 sacks, which already are the third-most in team history. Hendrickson has recorded at least a half-sack in each of Cincinnati’s last 10 games — the longest active streak in the NFL, the longest streak in team history and tied for the fifth-longest streak in NFL history.

Mixon was a second-round pick of the Bengals in 2017 and is in his fifth year. He currently ranks second in the NFL in rushing yards (1,094), second in rushing attempts (262) and third in rushing touchdowns (12). Mixon stands just three rushing touchdowns shy of tying RB Ickey Woods’ single-season team record of 15, set in 1988.

Cincinnati’s alternates could be called into action if others voted in their position group are unable to participate. Selections from the two teams reaching the Super Bowl will be among those unable to play, as will players who are not cleared due to injury.

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