Dalton guides winning drive
49ers name Lynch general manager
ORLANDO, Fla. — Andy Dalton completed 10 of 12 passes for 100 yards and engineered two scoring drives to help lead the AFC to a 20-13 victory over the NFC in the Pro Bowl on Sunday night.
The Cincinnati Bengals quarterback threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Travis Kelce late in the first half and then guided the offense down the field to set up Justin Tucker’s 38-yard field to put the AFC ahead 17-7 midway through the third quarter.
In an NFL all-star game that lacked spectacular play on either side, the AFC put together just enough scoring drives and then held on to preserve a win.
It marked the return to the AFC vs. NFC matchup after the NFL used a format the last three years in which teams were drafted among the Pro Bowl players by designated captains.
The NFC had a chance to tie or take the lead in the waning moments, but Kirk Cousins’ pass to Jimmy Graham went off the Seattle tight end’s hands and was intercepted at the AFC 2-yard line by Buffalo linebacker Lorenzo Alexander, who lateralled the ball to Denver’s Aqib Talib on the return that ended at the NFC 12 to end the threat.
This was the first time the Pro Bowl was played in Orlando, and the ending certainly didn’t disappoint the 60,834 fans who packed Camping World Stadium.
New Orleans’ Drew Brees completed 10 of 19 passes for 112 yards and one touchdown to lead the NFC. Kansas City’s Alex Smith, the starter for the
AFC, completed six of eight passes for 74 yards and one touchdown.
TILLMAN: The widow of Pat Tillman has expressed disappointment over President Donald Trump after the administration imposed a temporary ban on travel to the United States from seven majority Muslim countries.
Marie Tillman posted a message on Facebook saying she was saddened by the executive order, adding that this was “not the country he dreamed of, not what he served for and not what he died for.”
49ERS: San Francisco made a surprise hire to fill its general manager void Sunday, hiring former NFL safety and Fox television analyst John Lynch to replace Trent Baalke.
Lynch comes into the job with no front-office experience, having gone straight from the playing field to the broadcast booth. But after a lengthy search that included interviews with nine other publicly identified candidates, team CEO Jed York settled on Lynch.
After playing for former Niners coach Bill Walsh in college at Stanford, Lynch went on to have a stellar 15-year career with Tampa Bay and Denver that included three All-Pro selections and one Super Bowl title with the Buccaneers.
COLTS: Indianapolis hired Chris Ballard as general manager. Previously, Ballard served as the Chiefs’ director of football operations.
The former Wisconsin football player began his front office career as an area scout with the Bears. In 2012, he became the Bears’ director of pro scouting.
MEDIA: Football fans in the United States can listen to the Super Bowl in eight languages.
SiriusXM will carry the Westwood One national feed in English, plus the local broadcasts of the Falcons and Patriots. And if you speak Spanish, French, Japanese, Mandarin, German, Hungarian, even Flemish, there will be a channel on satellite radio for you.