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With the future of the game in doubt, players for the AFC and NFC competed hard from the get-go, combining for 834 yards of total offense and 97 points as the NFC defeated the AFC, 62-35 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on Sunday. Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph was named Pro Bowl MVP after catching five passes for 122 yards and a touchdown. Rudolph, who was added an injury replacement when Tony Gonzalez of the Atlanta Falcons bowed out, could have another touchdown, but a pass from Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson was instead snared by Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin for a 28-yard touchdown at the start of the third quarter. Rudolph was not the only player on the NFC who could have walked away with a new car and MVP trophy. Wilson took over at quarterback in the second half and completed eight of 10 pass attempts for 98 yards and three touchdowns and a had a game-high 13-yard run on a scramble. Buccaneers wide receiver Vincent Jackson had six receptions for 91 yards and two touchdowns and New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz had 10 receptions – the second-most in a Pro Bowl – for 96 yards and a touchdown. While the game is clearly an offensive showcase, Chicago Bears defensive end Julius Peppers had a pair of sacks and Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul had a sack and grabbed an interception when he was lined up one-on-one with Houston Texans defensive J.J. Watt, who was playing some wide receiver when the AFC was in the red zone. Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green was arguably the top performer on the AFC side, catching seven passes for 119 yards and a game-high three touchdowns, including the game’s opening score in the first quarter on a six-yard pass from Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and two in the fourth quarter from Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck. According to the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement, players on the NFC team will receive $50,000, while the AFC’s loser share is worth $25,000. Those shares will increase to $53,000 for the winners and $26,000 for the losing team in next year’s Super Bowl, should a game take place. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is considering canceling the annual all-star game after boos rained down during the 2012 Pro Bowl as the game started with players going at half speed. Eventually, the competition level increased in last year’s game, but the future of the exhibition has remained in doubt. Watt removed any doubts Goodell may have had about the competition level, injuring the index finger on his left hand in the first quarter. Watt held up the bleeding digit during a sideline interview with NBC’s Michele Tafoya as proof to the commissioner that the players were playing hard.

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Kyle Rudolph earns MVP honors as NFC defeats AFC 62-35 in spirited Pro Bowl (Shutdown Corner)

The NFC loaned center Jeff Saturday to the AFC for a play, for one of the coolest moments you’ll see in a Pro Bowl. Saturday played his first 13 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, hiking the ball to Peyton Manning time after time, including in the Colts’ Super Bowl XLI victory over the Bears. After so many games and memories together, Manning and Saturday spent this season apart, when Manning went to the Denver Broncos and Saturday went to the Green Bay Packers. Saturday announced this week that he was retiring after the Pro Bowl. So in the first quarter, we witnessed something you’re unlikely to see again – a player lining up with the other team for one play.

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Jeff Saturday hikes it to Peyton Manning one last time in the Pro Bowl (Shutdown Corner)

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Alex Smith ran off the field at Candlestick Park two weeks ago to a standing ovation and cheers from the sellout crowd, not much different from the reception last January when he took the San Francisco 49ers oh so close to a Super Bowl.

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Alex Smith handles role with unselfishness, class (The Associated Press)