Khalil Mack, Cordarrelle Patterson earn Pro Bowl bids

Bears outside linebacker Khalil Mack and kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson were once again voted to the Pro Bowl.

Neither is a stranger to the Pro Bowl. They will be the Bears’ lone representatives this year. Receiver Allen Robinson and inside linebacker Roquan Smith did not earn bids.

The 2021 Pro Bowl will take place virtually, with players going head-to-head in the Madden NFL 21 video game. The game was previously scheduled to take place Jan. 31 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, but was canceled due to the pandemic.

Mack earned his sixth consecutive Pro Bowl bid, which includes his final three years with the Oakland Raiders and now all three seasons with the Bears. He leads the Bears with eight sacks and has forced three fumbles and caught one interception. He has 49 QB hurries, which is tied for the second-most in the NFL behind the Los Angeles Rams’ Aaron Donald, who has 51.5.

Patterson earned his second Pro Bowl selection as a member of the Bears and his fourth overall. He was a Pro Bowl performer in 2019 with the Bears, and in 2013 and 2016 with the Minnesota Vikings. Patterson leads the NFL in kick return average (29.4 yards) and in total kick return yards (942). He is one of four NFL players who have scored touchdowns on kickoff returns this season.

Patterson scored a 104-yard kickoff return touchdown against Minnesota in Week 10. It was his eighth kickoff return touchdown in his career, which tied him for the NFL record (tying Josh Cribbs and Leon Washington).

Smith and Robinson had strong resumes, but were not selected. Pro Bowl selections are decided by votes from the coaches, players and fans – with each group accounting for one-third of the vote percentage.

Smith has been one of the best inside linebackers in the league this season. He is tied for fourth in the NFL with 128 total tackles. He leads the Bears with 17 tackles for loss. The third-year pro is still looking for his first Pro Bowl selection. Seattle’s Bobby Wagner and San Francisco’s Fred Warner were selected to represent the NFC at inside linebacker.

Robinson is ninth in the NFL with 1,110 receiving yards, and sixth in the NFC. He produced even while the Bears offense struggled through a six-game losing streak. Green Bay’s Davante Adams, Arizona’s DeAndre Hopkins, Seattle’s DK Metcalf and Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson will represent the NFC at receiver. Robinson went to the Pro Bowl once, in 2015 as a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

In a normal year, numerous Pro Bowl selections would opt out of the game due to injury or for other reasons, giving additional players a chance to earn alternate bids to the Pro Bowl. Because the actual game is canceled this season, there will likely be far fewer Pro Bowl selections than a normal year.