GLENDALE, Ariz. — Few moved very fast, no one flattened a quarterback, and there were no bone-jarring hits in the gentle, friendly version of football played at the Pro Bowl on Sunday.
Even in a game dominated by offense, J.J. Watt was the star.
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The Texans defensive end intercepted a pass, recovered a fumble and led the crowd in dances during commercial breaks.
Team Irvin defeated Watt’s Team Carter 32-28, but the score is never important in the NFL’s all-star game. Everyone seemed to have a good time, particularly Watt, the game’s defensive MVP.
Other memorable moments came from Saints tight end Jimmy Graham, who dunked over the crossbar twice after TD catches – this time with no penalty, and Giants rookie Odell Beckham Jr., who made a diving grab at midfield.
Graham’s second touchdown, on a 1-yard, fourth-down pass from Matt Ryan, was the winning TD with 3:10 to play.
Greg Olsen and Emmanuel Sanders also caught a pair of touchdown passes apiece. Andrew Luck was nearly perfect in his short time on the field, completing 9 of 10 passes for 119 yards and two scores. Matthew Stafford threw for 316 yards and two TDs and was the offensive MVP.
The Pro Bowl took a one-year hiatus from Hawaii and was played in the desert to coincide with the Super Bowl. A sellout crowd of 63,225 watched at University of Phoenix Stadium as the teams moved up and down the field, often without much resistance.
If the players missed the beach, they wouldn’t let on.
“It’s been fantastic,” Dallas quarterback Tony Romo said. “The turnout here at the stadium is just like an NFL game.”
Romo knew this wasn’t a real NFL game.
“It’s a blast,” Stafford said. “To be able to play with the best in the world is a whole lot of fun, and everybody is such good people, too. I am out here having a good time.”
The NFL scrapped the AFC vs. NFC format last year in favor of having two big-name former players draft players four days before the game. This year, the honor went to Michael Irvin and Cris Carter.
The goal posts were narrowed to from 18.6 feet to 14 feet on all kicks, not just PATs as had been previously announced. The PATs also were moved back to make it a 33-yard kick.
The skinny posts claimed an unlikely victim when Adam Vinatieri missed two PATs. The 42-year-old Colts kicker hasn’t missed an extra point in real games in five years. He also missed a 38-yard field goal.
Another rule was no blitzing. Denver’s Von Miller violated that one and, on the next play after the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, Luck threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to T.Y. Hilton.
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