In a Pro Bowl overflowing with touchdown passes and interceptions, the AFC on Sunday at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium was able to earn its fifth consecutive victory over the NFC. Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard set the tone with a pick-six on the game’s sixth play of the game as the AFC jumped out to a lead it would never relinquish as the teams combined for seven passing touchdowns and seven interceptions. Here are five takeaways from the game.
Defense dominates from the jump. What the Pro Bowl lacks in physicality and urgency, it makes up for in opportunism. In an opening salvo void of hard hits, the flashiest plays still came from defenses, not from offenses. Kyler Murray, Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson and Patrick Mahomes all threw interceptions in the first quarter. Kyler's pick, right into the hands of Darius Leonard, and Mahomes's wayward toss, a gift to Antonio Winfield Jr., were both returned for six; neither man was touched, save for half-hearted slaps. Cousins was stripped off the right side by T.J. Watt on the first play of the second quarter, resulting in a Myles Garrett scoop-and-score. Mac Jones got in on the pick action with his first regulation throw of the day. Wilson then threw another INT to a wide-open Derwin James. To top it off, Mahomes was stripped by Micah Parsons on the final play of the first half. Parsons had said leading up to his first Pro Bowl that he would channel the late Sean Taylor in his aggression in the NFL all-star game. The Cowboys rookie didn't quite level a punter, but he and his fellow defenders, who picked off each Pro Bowl QB at least once, were certainly more inspired than the offensive offensive play on Sunday. (Jeremy Bergman)
Maxx makes an effort. Hometown hero Maxx Crosby made the most of his Pro Bowl debut Sunday afternoon. The Raiders edge rusher left his feet at the line of scrimmage to bat down three Murray passes in the first two quarters, including one on the first play, setting the tone for the day. Deep in the second quarter, Crosby even logged a sack of Cousins in the red zone, thwarting an NFC scoring effort. Crosby finished his all-star afternoon with five tackles, three for a loss, two sacks, three passes defensed and the game’s Defensive Most Valuable Player accolade. One of the league's feel-good stories, Crosby had a field day in front of his home crowd. (Jeremy Bergman)
