WATCH LIVE: NFL athletes and pro gamers battle it out at ITK Bowl 2021

In The Know and Misfits Gaming are teaming up once again for ITK Bowl 2021, a Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War tournament where professional athletes are paired up with professional gamers from the Call of Duty League and beyond. The event, which is sponsored by Pizza Hut, will kick off on Feb. 5 at 5:30 p.m. EST, right here on this page.

All competitors will be playing from the safety of their homes or team houses, in accordance with COVID-19 guidelines. The tournament will be done in the 2v2 Gunfight Mode, where duos face off against each other with identical loadouts, one life per round and no regenerating health. Our teams will need skill, caution and coordination in order to succeed.

Each team will consist of one pro athlete and one pro gamer, as they duke it out in a single-elimination format.

Here’s a full list of the individual competitors:

The Athletes

  • Chase Claypool, Wide Receiver for Pittsburgh Steelers (@ChaseClaypool)
  • Sebastian Joseph-Day, Nose Tackle for Los Angeles Rams (@SJD_51)
  • Jarvis Landry, Wide Receiver for Cleveland Browns (@God_Son80)
  • Henry Ruggs III, Wide Receiver for Las Vegas Raiders (@_RUGGS)
  • Stephen Jackson, Small Forward and Shooting Guard for various NBA teams (@DaTrillStak5)
  • Justin Jefferson, Wide Receiver for Minnesota Vikings (@JJettas2)
  • DeVonta Smith, Wide Receiver for the Alabama Crimson Tide 
  • Mark Ingram II, former Running Back for the Baltimore Ravens (@markingram21)

The Gamers

  • Cesar “Skyz” Bueno (@CesarSkyz)
  • Colt “Havok” McLendon (@ColtHavok)
  • Luis “Jumper” Guzman (@MLYJumpeR) subbing in for Joseph “Owakening” Conley
  • Josiah “Slacked” Berry
  • Travis “Neptune” McCloud 
  • Thomas “OGRE 2” Ryan (@TomRyanOGRE2)
  • Ricardo “Atura” Lugo
  • Bobby Poff (@BobbyPoff) subbing in for Jordan “LEGIQN” Payton

And here are the teams:

  • Cesar “Skyz” Bueno and Mark Ingram II
  • Colt “Havok” McLendon and Chase Claypool
  • Luis “Jumper” Guzman (subbing in for Owakening) and Henry Ruggs III
  • Josiah “Slacked” Berry and Justin Jefferson
  • Travis “Neptune” McCloud II and Jarvis Landry
  • Thomas “OGRE 2” Ryan and Stephen Jackson
  • Ricardo “Atura” Lugo and Sebastian Joseph-Day
  • Bobby Poff and DeVonta Smith

Join our hosts Anthony “NAMELESS” Wheeler, Jeremy “StuDyy” Astacio and Kay Adams to see which duo claims the crown for our ITK Bowl 2021 champions!

8:23 P.M.

It’s over! Team Slacked cinched both rounds to become our ITK Bowl 2021 champions!

Slacked and Justin Jefferson will receive our grand prize of $10,000 for charity, courtesy of Malka Sports. In a tournament filled with great performances, Team Slacked proved through this match why they deserve to be this year’s champs!

Justin Jefferson will be donating the money to No Kid Hungry, a non-profit dedicated to ending child hunger in the United States.

A big thank you to Justin Jefferson, Slacked and all our players who participated in ITK Bowl 2021!

8:21 P.M.

Uh oh… Team Slacked has a one round lead and a strong position in the second round. Can Team Neptune take it to a round of three?

8:17 P.M.

Here we go! Team Slacked and Team Neptune are gunning it out for the ITK Bowl 2021 crown in Checkmate.

As expected, both duos are fighting hard to control the airplane area at the center of the map. Careful picks are what will win the day here.

8:11 P.M.

We’re closing in our final match now. The winners will receive $10,000 to donate to their charity of choice.

It’ll be Team Slacked and Team Neptune for the ITK Bowl 2021 championship!

8:08 P.M.

The trash talk is flowing freely as Slacked and Justin Jefferson celebrate their victory! Team Slacked moves on while Jumper and Ruggs III hang up their joypads.

8:07 P.M.

Team Slacked and Team Jumper are tied right now with both duos refusing to budge. With only a minute left, there’s no way to tell who will prevail.

7:58 P.M.

Nuketown Nuketown! Slacked and Justin Jefferson are head-to-head against Jumper and Henry Ruggs III on this classic map.

Jumper is still looking very crisp here in his impromptu. ITK Bowl debut.

7:50 P.M.

The practice has clearly paid off. Neptune and Jarvis Landry are advancing to the finals! Jarvis Landry is playing marvelously with smart positioning and setting up Neptune for some clutch kills.

7:46 P.M.

In the first game of our second round, Bobby Poff is with Sebastian Joseph-Day against Neptune and Jarvis Landry.

Jarvis is flexing some big brain tactics here with that cap!

7:36 P.M.

Wow. Jumper and Henry Ruggs III handily defeated Skyz and Mark Ingram Jr. in a surprising upset.

Not only was our returning champion Skyz eliminated but Ruggs III struggled to land a single kill. That wraps up our first round of matches!

7:21 P.M.

Unfortunately, Owakening is experiencing a power outage. Up-and-comer Luis “Jumper” Guzman will be partnering with Henry Ruggs III.

7:13 P.M.

After a masterful adjustment, Neptune and Jarvis Landry dark horsed their way to victory! This match was a testament to how important it is to adapt around your opponents.

7:01 P.M.

Neptune and Jarvis Landry is squaring up against Havok and Chase Claypool.

Havok opening strong with a first blood headshot!

6:48 P.M.

Team Slacked came into this match as the favored duo and they delivered. Slacked is definitely going to be hanging this over Atura’s head for weeks.

6:41 P.M.

Team Slacked is already starting off strong. Slacked and Justin Jefferson took an easy first round win by sticking together and playing for picks.

6:29 P.M.

“We don’t feel pressure, we apply it.” Wooooooo Sebastian Joseph-Day with that wisdom trash talk!

Our next match is Atura and Sebastian Joseph-Day against Slacked and Justin Jefferson!

6:12 P.M.

NAMELESS and StuDyy are reminiscing about the (relatively) old days of esports when there were far fewer professional leagues. Oh the memories. I can still taste that the gallons of sponsored soda I downed in the Before Times.

6:07 P.M.

And it’s over! Bobby Poff and DeVonta Smith beat the legends OGRE 2 and Steven Jackson.

5:57 P.M.

After some technical difficulties and a Call of Duty update, our first match is finally under way! It looks like both teams are favoring the AK-74u. Fast, close-quarter firefights seems to be play for both teams right now for this Control map.

5:43 P.M.

First up, we got the young guns Bobby Poff and DeVonta Smith against the old vets OGRE 2 and Steven Jackson.

It’s the up-and-comers vs. the legends!

5:30 P.M.

We’re live! Due to scheduling conflicts, LEGIQN has been replaced with Twitch streamer Bobby Poff.

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