NFC tops AFC in Pro Bowl Games
LAS VEGAS — For Kirk Cousins, it didn’t quite have the feeling of leading the Minnesota Vikings to an NFL-record 33-point comeback against the Indianapolis Colts to win the NFC North Division two months ago.
However, there was a reason Cousins was taking snaps for the third and final flag football matchup Sunday at the Pro Bowl Games.
NFC coach Eli Manning wanted Cousins in that spot to decide the overall winner, and the Vikings quarterback responded by throwing three touchdowns passes to rally his conference’s allstars to a 35-33 victory over the AFC, ending a five-game losing streak for the NFC.
Cousins was 15-of-19 passing for 150 yards in the NFL’s reformatted all-star contest.
“It’s hard to wait around that long to play, but I appreciate Eli letting me be the third guy,” Cousins said, adding that it was “fun to go in there and be the closer.”
The NFL eliminated the traditional contact football game this year, replacing it with three flag games contested on a 50-yard field and a series of skills competitions, which began Thursday. Each of the first two flag games was worth six points, and each skills event was three. The total points were accumulated to form the score entering the final flag game.
The AFC began that portion ahead 21-15.
“I thought it was awesome,” San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey said. “Guys had fun. It got intense there at the end.”
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams, playing for the AFC, noticed the NFC took the game more seriously than expected, such as sending Dallas Cowboys safety KaVontae Turpin at the quarterback.
“Hopefully, next year the NFC will actually play some man and not sit back in cover 2 the whole time and blitz one of the fastest men in the league,” Adams said. “Interesting technique by them, but it was still a good time.”
Cousins said he hopes youngsters watching the Pro Bowl will want to participate in flag football and help that version of the sport grow. The change to a flag game took some getting used to, but Cousins said that also made it more fun.
“You’re kind of drawing stuff up in the dirt,” he said. “It’s not as defined of a plan, so some of our guys were coming into the huddle saying, ‘Hey, I think if we did this …’ You try to listen to them and incorporate it. So it was fun, but also a little hectic.” McCaffrey agreed. “Learning the rules was a little tricky because this was so different,” McCaffrey said. “But I think everybody learned pretty quick and had fun.”
The NFC’s guest coach apparently did.
Eli and Peyton Manning have two Super Bowl rings apiece as former NFL quarterback, but Eli has this Pro Bowl victory over his older brother.
“I am the greatest coach of the Mannings,” Eli said tongue-in-cheek on the NFL’s Twitter account. “I am so much better at coaching than Peyton, it’s unbelievable.”
He wasn’t the only brother to earn bragging rights. Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs intercepted a pass off a trick play from Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs.
Injuries were something the NFL hoped to avoid by switching to this new format. Though tackling wasn’t allowed, Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey leveled Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill at the goal line.
Also, the Cleveland Browns said defensive end Myles Garrett dislocated a toe but that X-rays for further damage were negative.
The Pro Bowl has received quite a bit of criticism in recent years, but the NFL keeps the event for a reason: fans pay attention. The announced crowd of 58,331 was more than 2,000 more than last year, also played at Allegiant Stadium.
No site has been announced for next year’s Pro Bowl, but it’s unlikely the NFL will want that event to be played in the same venue just before the Super Bowl, which will be in Las Vegas in 2024.