Former LSU receivers score 8 times as the NFC tops the AFC in the Pro Bowl Games again, 76-63

 

[February 03, 2025]  By MARK LONG

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — With Olympic flag football three years away, this much is becoming clear: the U.S. team should want a former LSU receiver on its roster.

The four ex-Tigers competing in the Pro Bowl Games scored a combined eight touchdowns in a flag football contest that capped the NFC’s third consecutive victory over the AFC, 76-63 on Sunday.

Rookie Malik Nabers of the New York Giants found the end zone twice for the NFC, and Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson also scored. Jefferson caught six passes for 46 yards. Nabers finished with five receptions for 62 yards.

“We’re on top for sure,” Jefferson said. “It is definitely great to see the guys having fun out here, scoring touchdowns, just making big plays. That’s what we normally do, so it’s good to see us coming out here and doing the same thing.”

The NFC essentially sealed the win by returning two interceptions for touchdowns in the second half, giving coach Eli Manning a third consecutive win over big brother and AFC coach Peyton. Arizona’s Budda Baker and Minnesota’s Byron Murphy delivered the big defensive plays in a made-for-TV event designed to showcase offense.

Jared Goff, who got the NFC off to a strong start with his near-perfect performance in a skills competition Thursday, completed 10 of 11 passes for 126 yards and three touchdowns. Goff and Murphy earned MVP honors.

Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield added three TDs on eight completions for the NFC, his second one going to Nabers.

Former LSU guys in the end zone ended up being the biggest trend in a game that lacked drama.

Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase scored three times, including a 45-yarder from Russell Wilson late, and Jacksonville’s Brian Thomas Jr. added two more for the AFC. Chase celebrated his third with a backflip and then performed “the Griddy” that his former college teammate, Jefferson, helped popularize.

The NFC started the day with a 14-7 lead after six skills competitions worth up to three points each Thursday night. The conference added to its lead by winning the “Great Football Race” and dominated an old-fashioned tug-of-war competition Sunday.

NFC wide receiver Malik Nabers, of the New York Giants, right, catches a pass while defended by AFC safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (39), of the Pittsburgh Steelers, during the flag football event at the NFL Pro Bowl, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025, in Orlando. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

With Dexter Lawrence of the New York Jets, Tampa Bay’s Vita Vea and Seattle’s Leonard Williams anchoring the strength test, the AFC got yanked into a foam pit twice in a best-of-three event.

Turpin shines — on defense
Speed thrills, and Dallas Cowboys return man KaVontae Turpin put on a show. Eli Manning used Turpin as a pass rusher, and his quickness was evident throughout the game. He pressured quarterbacks regularly, forcing them into mistakes, and seemingly pulled flags with ease. He finished with five tackles, including a sack.

Sideline shuffle, anyone?
Pittsburgh defensive tackle Cameron Heyward and Tennessee defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons spent time between the first and second quarters playing cards on the AFC bench. They eventually put the deck down and watched a skill game called “Punt Perfect.”

But it was fairly common to see players finding ways to pass the time in the game's laid-back atmosphere. Mayfield, Buccaneers teammate Tristan Wirfs and Dallas' Micah Parsons posed for pictures holding their babies on the NFC sideline. Cleveland's Jerry Jeudy spent much of the game signing autographs on the AFC sideline.

Scintillating finish for punters
Jacksonville’s Logan Cooke edged Detroit’s Jack Fox wowed teammates and fans in double overtime of “Punt Perfect.” It may have been the most dramatic finish of the Pro Bowl Games.

“At the end of the day, everyone came here for a punt-off,” Cooke quipped.

Cooke and Fox went head-to-head in the first two rounds — with some help from Baltimore cornerback Marlon Humphrey and San Francisco fullback Kyle Juszczyk — and were tied after two rounds. It went to sudden death, where Cooke hit and then watched Fox’s attempt rattle off the rim of one of the six canisters from 35 yards away.

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