When the Buffalo Bills defeated the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Divisional round, Lake-Lehman grad Connor McGovern knew there were two options left for the rest of the season.

He was either going to get the chance to play in the Super Bowl or he was going to the Pro Bowl.

While it was not McGovern’s ultimate goal, it was officially announced McGovern will be heading to the Pro Bowl. He left on Wednesday morning at 6 a.m. for Orlando, where he will participate in the Pro Bowl Games, featuring skills competitions and a makeshift gameshow, all capped by the Pro Bowl flag football game on Sunday at 3 p.m.

“I finished third in the overall voting,” McGovern said. “I was originally a first alternate. It was me, Tyler Linderbaum from the Ravens and Creed Humphrey from the Chiefs. Once we beat the Ravens, I knew I was either going to the Super Bowl or the Pro Bowl.”

McGovern recently wrapped up his second season with the Bills and his first as the center with the organization. Drafted out of Penn State by the Dallas Cowboys as a center, McGovern played all across the offensive line. When signed with Buffalo prior to the 2023 season, he started every game at left guard.

This season, he was moved to center, and the transition was flawless. Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen was the least-sacked quarterback in the NFL and the Bills featured a top-10 rushing attack.

“It was a lot of fun, I think the transition was smooth,” McGovern said. “It was just like riding a bike. I played center ever since I was at Lake-Lehman and Penn State.

“Compared to last year, I think we took an even bigger step forward. The communication across the line was much better and the guys are much closer, the entire team in general. We had a great year.”

McGovern’s move to center was necessitated when the previous starter, Mitch Morse, was released and signed with Jacksonville in the offseason. Morse had served as center for the entirety of Allen’s career to that point.

That meant it was time to get acclimated to snapping for Allen, which McGovern said by the time training camp rolled around the two were on the same page.

“It took a few weeks but me and Josh got comfortable with one another,” McGovern said. “It was different how we snapped the ball. He snapped it to the left side, I snap dead center. It was just how we were able to communicate.”

The sting of losing to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game is still palpable within the entire Bills organization. But looking back at the preseason predictions, there were not a lot of people expecting the Bills to embark on the run they did.

“Obviously the main goal is to get to the Super Bowl,” McGovern said. “I think we had a great year. People said we were going to finish in third or fourth place and not even make the playoffs. It’s still so fresh coming off that loss.

“Getting to go to the Pro Bowl is a credit to the guys around me who made me a better player.”

Bills running back James Cook and left tackle Dion Dawkins will join McGovern in Orland this weekend, rounding out Buffalo’s representation.