Diggs brothers mix it up at Pro Bowl in Las Vegas

Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs covering his big brother Stefon, a wide receiver for the Bills, was potentially one of the more fun matchups in Sunday’s NFL Pro Bowl.

The respective coaches added an unexpected twist to the sibling rivalry once the game started.

Trevon took the field on offense for several plays and was covered by Stefon as roles were reversed.

Advantage, big brother.

Stefon locked up Trevon, even if he may have gotten away with a little extra contact. A pass intended for Trevon fell harmlessly incomplete in the end zone during the second quarter.

It may have even earned Stefon some extra defensive reps as he was out on the field in the fourth quarter covering other receivers.

Of course, both players were voted to the all-star game for their work at their natural positions and they did plenty of that on Sunday.

Fans hoping to see the brothers go at it got their fair share of brother-on-brother routes in the game, but the best battle actually came on a run play.

Stefon took a pitch on a reverse and appeared to be looking to throw a pass, only to tuck the ball and run into the end zone for a touchdown.

The TD jaunt included a juke move that dropped Trevon to the field, leading to Stefon pointing to his brother on the grass as he strolled into the end zone.

Stefon also threw a pass, which he completed for 15 yards, and caught three passes for 29 yards.

Trevon intercepted a pass in his Pro Bowl debut.

After the game, the two stayed briefly on the field to autograph and exchange jerseys.

Barring any unexpected offseason movement, they won’t face off again until at least next year’s Pro Bowl. The Bills and Cowboys are not scheduled to play each other next season.

New rules exploited

In a game where defense was largely optional, both teams took advantage of an experimental rule allowing teams to try a fourth-and-15 from their own 25-yard line instead of kicking off after touchdowns.

The teams attempted to keep the ball by gaining the 15 yards after nine of the 11 touchdowns.

They went 0-for-9 on those tries.

The other notable experimental rule was the use of spot-and-chase, which has been proposed as a possible solution for overtime.

At the start of each half, one team placed the ball anywhere they wanted on the field and the other decided whether they wanted to play offense or defense from that point.

The AFC placed the ball 85 yards away from the goal line at the beginning of the game and the NFC chose to play offense, leaving them 85 yards from the end zone.

When the NFC had the opportunity at the start of the third quarter, they got even more bold and put the ball 95 yards from the goal line. The AFC also chose to play offense, leaving them 95 yards from the end zone.

Those decisions and the thought processes behind them could have been much different in a more intense defensive battle.

Good hosts

Saints defensive lineman Cameron Jordan said after the game he thought Las Vegas has the potential to be a strong choice as a host city for the Pro Bowl.

He pointed out how much adults, particularly NFL players, love the city. Jordan added that he brought his family and found plenty of things for his children to enjoy this week, which was a welcome surprise.

“It’s a setup that with some tweaking could be phenomenal,” he said. “Sensational, even.”

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.