ARIZONA CARDINALS
David Johnson, Patrick Peterson and Larry Fitzgerald selected to 2017 Pro Bowl
Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson (31) scores a touchdown as New Orleans Saints cornerback B.W. Webb defends during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Arizona Cardinals RB David Johnson, CB Patrick Peterson and WR Larry Fitzgerald were selected to the 2017 Pro Bowl’s NFC squad on Tuesday.
Special teamer Justin Bethel, defensive tackle Calais Campbell, corner Marcus Cooper, guard Mike Iupati and linebacker Chandler Jones were selected as alternates.
Heading into Week 16 of the NFL season, Fitzgerald leads the NFL with 98 receptions for 949 yards to go with five touchdowns.
Fitzgerald joins Hall Of Fame receiver Jerry Rice as the only receivers to be selected for the Pro Bowl 10 or more times. Rice appeared in the game 13 times.
Following the Cardinals’ Week 14 loss to the New Orleans Saints, Fitzgerald’s 1,116 catches through his first 200 games bests Rice’s previous record by one. The Arizona receiver has moved into third place of the NFL career receptions list this year, behind tight end Tony Gonzalez’s 1,325 and Rice’s 1,549.
This week, the Arizona receiver said he was “uncertain” about whether he will continue playing after 2016. He is under contract but has not shut the door on the possibility of retirement.
Johnson is also chasing history.
The second-year running back out of Northern Iowa recorded his 14th-straight game of eclipsing the 100-yards from scrimmage mark. No other player in NFL history has accomplished that feat in the first 14 games of the year. Johnson could become the first player to reach the 100-yard mark in 16 straight games if he reaches 100 yards in the final two games of the year.
Johnson has 1,138 rushing yards on 260 attempts, plus 13 touchdowns, in 2016. He also has 800 receiving yards on 73 catches and four touchdowns.
It’s Johnson’s first Pro Bowl invite.
At cornerback, Peterson has 42 tackles and three interceptions. It’s his sixth Pro Bowl appearance, as he’s made the game in every year of his career.
