NFC Rallies Back To Topple AFC
HONOLULU — They could have played this Pro Bowl on the beach with flag football rules. All of which was to the liking of Terrell Owens and Adrian Peterson.
Making up for early sloppiness, Owens caught two touchdowns passes, including a 6-yarder from Tampa Bay's Jeff Garcia for the winning points in the NFC's comeback 42–30 victory over the AFC yesterday.
Owens was aided by Offensive Rookie of the Year Peterson, whose 129 yards rushing was the first performance of more than 100 yards since Marshall Faulk had 180 and Chris Warren added 127 in 1995. The Minnesota running back scored twice as the NFC rallied from a 24–7 deficit, earning himself MVP honors.
Faulk is the only other rookie to be voted MVP of the Pro Bowl.
Neither side held back the tricks, to the delight of the sellout crowd of 50,044 at Aloha Stadium. There was a fake punt, a throwback kickoff return, and a handful of fourth-down gambles.
One of those was a 34-yard pass to Owens from fellow Cowboy Tony Romo that sparked the comeback. Before that huge play, Owens had a pair of ugly drops that drew boos.
He quickly turned them into cheers. The 48 first-half points tied the Pro Bowl record for the first two periods. The only punt of the half turned into a fake and an 11-yard completion from San Francisco's Andy Lee to Minnesota fullback Tony Richardson. After Peterson gained 24 yards on two plays, Romo threw to Larry Fitzgerald, who dived across the goal line to tie it at 7.
