One Sunday every year the stars of the NFL come together to put on a show for rabid NFL fans. This year was no different as the stars took to the field and played a traditional NFC vs. AFC matchup. Although, what seemed to be a blowout at half time with the NFC leading 20-3, proved to be anything but, as the AFC came roaring back in the 3rd and 4th quarters to finish with a win – thereby defeating the NFC 24-23.
OFFENSE:
- There seemed to be an overall lack of effort on the offensive end. With a total of 6 turnovers between the two teams it seemed like the teams weren’t necessarily being careful with the football.
- AFC Quarterback Derek Carr played the best football on Sunday as he led the comeback for the AFC. Carr went 11/15 on his passes for 115 yards and a touchdown. Carr showed his competitiveness on Sunday showing off his cannon-like arm by slinging the ball down field with ease. Without Carr, this game could’ve gotten really ugly for the AFC.
- Tight End Delanie Walker for the AFC came up big in this game. Even though, he only caught 4 balls for 29 yards, two of those receptions were for touchdowns. Obviously good enough to take home the MVP honors.
- The NFC’s hot start was thanks to veteran Quarterback Drew Brees. Although, Brees only played shortly he got the NFC started going quick as he went 7-9 on his passes with one touchdown and no interceptions. Had the NFC won this game we could be talking about Brees taking home the MVP honors.
DEFENSE:
- The Defensive backs stole the show in this game and made life really hard for the opposing quarterbacks. NFC Cornerback Patrick Peterson stole the spotlight late as he had 2 interceptions. Peterson didn’t get many primetime games over the course of the 2017 season, so in a attempt to make his name known, he made life tough on Wide Receivers all afternoon long.
- NFC Safety Harrison Smith dropped the jaws of the fans early and picked off AFC quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and took home the games only defensive score which many thought could be enough to take home the defensive MVP honors, had the NFC won the game.
- AFC Outside Linebacker Von Miller showcased his talents against the NFC with the biggest play of the game when he stripped sacked Quarterback Jared Goff to clinch the victory as well as the Pro Bowl Defensive MVP honors.
With the controversy of the Pro Bowl in the past few years, the Pro Bowl defiantly trended in the right direction in 2017 by raising the level of competition. I do believe as a regular NFL fan that they need to build on this and find another way next year to make the game even more competitive.
