Marshall’s four TDS lift AFC

HONOLULU — Brandon Marshall caught six passes for 176 yards and a Pro Bowl-record four touchdowns and the AFC used a second-half surge to beat the NFC 59-41 on Sunday.

The Miami Dolphins wide receiver had a touchdown catch in each quarter, including a 74yarder in the first and a 3-yarder in the fourth, in a game filled with highlight-reel catches. He was selected as the game’s MVP.

“That was a goal of mine, to have that under my belt for my career,” Marshall said.

The 59 points by the AFC set a Pro Bowl mark, and the 100 points scored by the two teams combined were the second most, a touchdown shy of the 107 scored in 2004.

But it was clear from the start it was Marshall’s day. He hauled in a deflected, go-ahead 47-yard touchdown pass from Andy Dalton while on his back to give the AFC a 38-35 lead late in the third quarter. It was Marshall’s third TD catch, tying Jimmy Smith’s Pro Bowl record set in 2004.

Marshall, making his third Pro Bowl appearance, then nabbed a 3-yard TD pass from Dalton that gave the AFC a 52-35 lead with 8:25 left and put the game away.

The game featured 36 firsttimers, including rookie quarterbacks Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers and Dalton of the Cincinnati Bengals, who replaced Super Bowl quarterbacks Eli Manning and Tom Brady. Their selection made this Pro Bowl, before a sellout crowd of 48,423, the first to feature two rookie signal-callers.

Newton finished 9-for-27 for 186 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. Dalton was 7-for-9 for 99 yards and two touchdowns.