Ray Lewis is going to the Pro Bowl, after all.

The Baltimore Ravens' middle linebacker earned an eighth trip to Hawaii on Wednesday, replacing injured linebacker Al Wilson of the Denver Broncos on the AFC squad. Lewis was named a first alternate last month.

To date, Lewis led the Ravens' top-ranked defense with 164 tackles, the ninth time in his 11-year career he finished as Baltimore's leading tackler. He also had five sacks and two interceptions.

Lewis is the sixth member of the Ravens to be named to the Pro Bowl.

"It's always a privilege to be voted in to the Pro Bowl, especially when your peers have a voice," Lewis said in a statement. "I think this recognizes what great team defense we played this year with myself, Adalius, Chris, Terrell and Ed representing our team and our city in Hawaii."

Lewis said last month that he wasn't bitter about not being named initially to the Pro Bowl.

"I never played this game for Pro Bowls," Lewis said. "Is it sad the way it goes down? Of course. I was around when the voting was right. I was around when you used to vote for guys for what they did and not by whatever comes up.

"Now, it's getting kind of crazy because the league is getting very young. These guys don't know how to vote no more. That's not the way the game should be."

Pro Bowl spots were awarded based on three sets of votes by fans (online), by coaches and by players. Each was given equal weight.