I know, as any other diehard NFL fan would, that the Pro Bowl doesn't mean squat for fans or for the players themselves. But with a week in between the Conference Championship games and the Super Bowl, it does provide a little bit of football relief. It's better than watching The Real Housewives repeats right? This year, the NFC manhandled the AFC by a score of 62-35. But lets dig deeper and pick out three highlights from the game itself.
Texans DE JJ Watt Takes A Snap At Wide Receiver
One of the things I like about the Pro Bowl is since the game itself means nothing for either side, it gives offenses a chance to do a little trickery and try new plays that they ordinarily wouldn't do in a real game. One such play came early in the game when the AFC lined up JJ Watt at wide receiver near the goal line. Watt, who is expected to win Defensive Player of the Year, took a pass from Peyton Manning. But it was unfortunately broken up by Bears DB Charles Tillman.
And for those who don't think players actually do get hurt during the game, check out the huge gash on Watt's finger after the play. Now THAT'S an injury.
Packers C Jeff Saturday Takes Snaps From Both Mannings
If you didn't know, the Pro Bowl was long-time offensive linemen Jeff Saturday's last official game as an NFL center. Having played 13 years with the Colts, all of them with Peyton Manning, it was a fitting end and a very kind gesture to have Saturday, on the NFC team with the Packers, give one more snap to his long-time Colts teammate. Many believed Saturday didn't even deserve to be in the Pro Bowl to begin with. But when you see something like this, it reminds you of just how special bonds are between players in the NFL.
Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph Wins Game MVP
This game shows that if Rudolph can have a consistent quarterback throwing to him, he can put up respectable numbers on a weekly basis. Rudolph led all receivers with 122 receiving yards, off 5 catches, and scored a touchdown. Now I know that defenses usually don't give it their all during this game. But these stats show me that Rudolph isn't as inept as some fantasy owners might have thought during the 2012 regular season. With Christian Ponder expected to get another crack as the starter in 2013, lets hope we see bigger and better things out of Rudolph next year.
For a COMPLETE box score and more in-depth analysis of the game, make sure to check out NFL.com.