Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, Anthony Sherman make it a Pro Bowl to remember
Raiders tight end Jared Cook paused as he headed out of the AFC’s locker room at Camping World Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
He shouted goodbye to Chiefs fullback Anthony Sherman over the pulsing music to tell him that Sherman should’ve been the Pro Bowl’s MVP on offense.
“They couldn’t give in to a fullback,” Sherman yelled back with a smile. “They want us to go by the wayside.”
Cook wasn’t the only player to stop by Sherman’s locker on the way out, and nearly everyone had the same message: A Chief went home with the Pro Bowl’s offensive MVP Award — but it might not have been the right one.
In his first Pro Bowl appearance and start, quarterback Patrick Mahomes earned the award by completing 7 of 14 attempts for 156 yards and a touchdown, adding to his collecting of honors this season.
But just about everyone agreed: Sherman was the real MVP.
“It definitely should’ve been Anthony Sherman,” Chiefs teammate and wide receiver Tyreek Hill said. “Sherm played a heck of a game. He went out and played hard for the squad. We got the W, obviously. I know Pat, he made some incredible throws today, but Sherm, he don’t get quite the love that he deserves. So I definitely think Sherm.”
Sherman, often flying under the radar as fullback, was a major part of the AFC squad’s 26-7 win against the NFC. He caught all three targets sent his way for 92 yards, and had four carries for 11 yards — including a second-quarter touchdown on a handoff from Mahomes to make it 14-0.
And in the second half, he hauled in a 49-yard pass from Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, sprinting up the sideline before cutting back to the middle of the field.
The Chiefs’ Pro Bowlers would’ve rather had the weekend off ahead of next weekend’s Super Bowl — an honor instead reserved for players from the New England Patriots, who won the AFC Championship Game against the Chiefs on Jan. 20 at Arrowhead Stadium — but the Pro Bowl turned out to be a pretty fun experience for the Kansas City contingent.
“I’ve been on the Sherm bandwagon since second half, even though he’s just a fullback,” Chiefs Pro Bowl left tackle Eric Fisher said. “Sherm played his butt off out there.”
Even Mahomes agreed, adding that if he had an MVP vote, it would’ve gone to Sherman.
“Sure, he made some great plays out there,” Mahomes said. “He’s awesome. For a fullback that can play the tight end position and still run the ball? Those are special type of players.”
And the quarterback figuratively passing the MVP award to the fullback wasn’t even the strangest part of the afternoon.
From the unseasonably cold and wet weather to running backs Saquon Barkley and Ezekiel Elliott playing on the defensive line to cornerback Jalen Ramsey’s touchdown catch, Sunday afternoon was like falling through the NFL’s looking glass.
Even Hill got in on the weirdness, jumping onto defense for the last play of the game. He traded spots with Dee Ford, running onto the field to play defensive end.
“I rushed the quarterback,” Hill said. “I kind of forced that sack. Right tackle, he tried to block me. I gave him a little bit of Dee Ford and Justin Houston. I caused that sack.”
“I just ran out there,” Hill continued. “There was probably like 13 guys on the field. There were definitely 13 guys on the field.”
Officially, Brandon Williams and Cam Heyward were credited with the sack. But stats — at least Pro Bowl stats — fade. Bragging rights, though, last forever.
“I model my game after a lot of people,” said Hill, who also had three catches for 23 yards and two carries for 24. “Aaron Donald. He’s quick. Justin Houston is strong. Chris Jones is crazy. I got a lot of things in my game on defense.”
Even for guys like Fisher, a first-time Pro Bowler who didn’t swap positions Sunday afternoon, just being a part of the zany game was fun.
“Saquon Barkley at D-tackle? That’s pretty cool,” Fisher said. “We enjoy stuff that. We worked pretty darn hard to get here for a lot of weeks, and so we’re going to enjoy the moment. It was fun out there today.”
Before going back to the locker room, Fisher stood with Sherman and gasped in mock disbelief as Mahomes was announced as the MVP. They heckled their teammate as the cameras swarmed. And later, Sherman offered up a compromise.
They could both use the car Mahomes won as a part of that MVP award.
“Pat should maybe give it to me next week or something,” he said. “We should share, right? He has it one week, I have it another week.”
This story was originally published January 27, 2019 at 7:40 PM.