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AFC edges NFC in Pro Bowl, Brees injured
By Daniel Dullum February 10, 2007 |
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Nate Keading’s 21-yard field goal as time expired lifted the AFC past the NFC 31-28, giving the NFL’s annual Pro Bowl at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu more drama than usual. A pass interference penalty set up the game-winning field goal by San Diego’s Keading, which capped another scoring drive engineered by Carson Palmer, the game’s MVP. The Cincinnati signal caller missed last year’s Pro Bowl due to a season-ending knee injury. Palmer completed 8 of 17 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns after replacing Indianapolis’ Peyton Manning early in the first quarter. New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees suffered a rare Pro Bowl injury – a dislocated left elbow. The injury, suffered early in the first quarter, is expected to heal within the next two months and not affect Brees’ ability to play for the Saints in 2007. The NFC trailed 28-14 with three minutes to play before injecting a little excitement into a game that’s usually one notch above touch football. Steven Jackson scored on a fourth-down touchdown run, and Ronde Barber recovered the NFC’s onside kick, setting up a Tony Romo-to-Anquan Boldin 47-yard scoring strike with 1:48 remaining. Carolina’s Steve Smith caught a two-point conversion to tie the game at 28-28. Palmer directed the AFC across midfield, then Adrian Wilson of Arizona, believing a long pass by Palmer had been tipped, leveled the Bengals’ Chad Johnson at the goal line, drawing a flag for pass interference. Keading easily converted the chip-shot field goal and the AFC won its eighth Pro Bowl in the last 11 seasons. Prior to the game’s frantic finish, Palmer completed a 42-yard touchdown pass to Johnson and a 72-yarder to Reggie Wayne. Defensively for the AFC, Baltimore’s Ed Reed intercepted two NFC passes. Tiki Barber, who announced his retirement from the New York Giants earlier in the season, scored on a 1-yard run in the second quarter, and San Francisco’s Frank Gore also had an early touchdown run. The Ravens’ Adalius Thomas took a fumble recovery 70 yards for an AFC score. Sean Taylor, Washington’s renegade safety, disregarded the unwritten rule about hard hits in an exhibition when he plowed into Buffalo punter Brian Moorman on an attempted fake in the third quarter. Each AFC player received a $40,000 winner’s share. |
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