Baker Mayfield’s fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Jahmyr Gibbs turned out to be the winning play as the NFC defeated the AFC 64-59 at the Pro Bowl Games on Sunday in Orlando, Fla.
The NFC had a 12-6 lead after Thursday’s skills competitions and had just enough cushion to withstand C.J. Stroud and the AFC team in flag football to conclude the multi-day event.
After the touchdown by Gibbs, the Detroit Lions running back, both defenses combined to pull out a series of stops. Stroud’s last-ditch pass to Keenan Allen in the end zone was broken up.
Standout Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker won three points for the AFC in “Kick-Tac-Toe,” which saw him and Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey take turns kicking into a tic-tac-toe matrix built between goalposts.
The NFC, however, piled up points with victories in several other competitions, including a “Madden NFL” video game event, “Best Catch” and a tug-of-war.
That allowed the Eli Manning-captained NFC team to withstand the Peyton Manning-coached AFC team in flag football. The AFC outscored the NFC 50-34 in flag football, yet it fell five points short of the overall victory.
Allen, the veteran Los Angeles Chargers receiver, caught nine passes for 90 yards and three touchdowns. He also completed a touchdown pass on a trick play. Stroud of the Houston Texans, Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins and Gardner Minshew of the Indianapolis Colts completed two touchdown passes apiece.
Seattle’s Geno Smith had two touchdowns and three interceptions. Tampa Bay’s Mayfield added two touchdowns. Amon-Ra St. Brown (Detroit) caught 10 balls for 117 yards and a touchdown, and CeeDee Lamb (Dallas) caught three touchdowns.
–Field Level Media
