The 2012 Pro Bowl may not have meant much to NFL fans, but it sure meant a lot to Dolphins WR Brandon Marshall. Marshall looked like the best player on the field during Sunday night's game, catching 6 passes for 176 yards and a Pro Bowl record 4 touchdowns as the AFC tore up the NFC by a score of 59-41. 21 points from the AFC came in the 4th quarter. Marshall caught a touchdown in each of the 4 quarters. Marshall scored his first-half touchdowns from 74 yards and 29 yards. His third touchdown came from 47 yards out in the third quarter after the ball bounced off his foot. His fourth touchdown was a lob-fade from Andy Dalton in the back right corner of the end zone over Patrick Peterson.
Other Pro Bowl notables:
QUARTERBACKS
Cam Newton continued his impressive rookie season by lofting up 2 touchdowns, but also threw 3 interceptions. Aaron Rodgers led the NFC in passing completions with 13 (for 141 yards) and 2 touchdowns of his own. On the AFC side, Philip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger and Andy Dalton all threw 2 touchdowns a piece, with Rivers and Big Ben throwing a pick each.
RUNNING BACKS
Maurice Jones-Drew led all running backs with 56 rushing yards. Marshawn Lynch led the NFC, with 43 rushing yards. MJD also had the longest run of the game with 39 yards. Vonta Leach was the lone running back to score a touchdown. Who said MJD was done as a football player again?
WIDE RECEIVERS
Aside from Brandon Marshall's stats, Steve Smith led the NFC in receiving yards with 118 yards off 5 receptions with a touchdown. Tony Gonzalez finished 2nd with 114 yards off 7 receptions. Larry Fitzgerald caught 3 scores, which led the NFC. After Marshall, Antonio Gates and AJ Green caught one touchdown a piece for the AFC.
DEFENSE:
Von Miller led both defenses with 6 tackles and was the only defender to nab a sack. Eric Weddle caught a pair of interceptions and Johnathan Joseph caught 1. On the NFC side, Patrick Peterson and Clay Matthews caught 1 interception a piece.
Stats courtesy of NFL.com.