How Did Tyler Huntley End Up in the Pro Bowl?

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley was announced as a Pro Bowler today, to the shock of most NFL fans. Huntley is to replace Josh Allen in the event, who turned down the invitation. Everybody accepts that the Pro Bowl is an unserious event that features many players who do not belong in any sort of NFL All-Star game, but are there anyway because none of the good guys want to waste their time with it. This is how Mac Jones ended up shrieking around the field last year. But Huntley going is, frankly, a new low for an event many already hold in the lowest regard.

I mean, he checks zero of the boxes required to even be thought about for something like the Pro Bowl. Huntley didn't play all of his team's games. He was terrible statistically, amassing all of two passing touchdowns in five games while throwing three interceptions. The best thing that can be said about Huntley is that he managed to win three of the team's last five games to get into the playoffs, where he blew the game on a QB sneak at the goal line and gave the Bengals a 99-yard fumble return for a touchdown.

This is all with the benefit of hindsight. Huntley was officially voted a Pro Bowl alternate back in December. Before he threw those two touchdown passes. So Huntley got voted into the Pro Bowl as a quarterback who threw zero touchdowns at the time of voting. Hell, he didn't even play in a game until December 4, two and a half weeks before Adam Schefter reported Huntley was voted in as an alternate. I mean this literally-- how did this happen?

This isn't like when Andrew Wiggins got voted in as an All-Star starter because K-Pop stans brigaded the NBA's voting mechanism. At least Wiggins was a high-profile player who actually played in the games. Huntley somehow managed to amass more votes than actual starting QBs like Derek Carr and Ryan Tannehill without even playing a down for three-quarters of the season. It's bizarre.

Ultimately none of this matters and I acknowledge that. This isn't a post created to stir up outrage. It is still undeniably weird and even fishy that Huntley got all those votes as a backup without some sort of cult following from college or whatever. But good for him.