The 2026 Pro Bowl moved off its normal Sunday slot and fit in on Tuesday night in Santa Clara, California, leading up to Super Bowl LX.
It delivered plenty of prime-time fun, all of which Green Bay Packers edge rusher Micah Parsons basked in. His ACL recovery didn’t stop him from joyfully rolling around on his motorized scooter throughout the night.
AFC head coach Steve Young gave his team an inspired pregame speech about how his players are now participating in a sport that will be part of the 2028 L.A. Olympics.
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While not all the players had a handle on the rules, they did give effort, which hasn’t always been guaranteed in the Pro Bowl.
The AFC climbed out of an early hole to establish an 18-point lead. But Jerry Rice’s NFC came all the way back to win 66-52.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. earned the game’s Defensive MVP honors after recording an interception that helped his conference seal the deal.
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens collected Offensive MVP honors following an impressive display of body control and end-zone footwork, including on his game-winning touchdown catch.
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Confused how this all went down? Here’s a rundown of the game’s key rules and top highlights.
Key Rules
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7 players on field for each team
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Center was eligible to receive passes
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Drives began at teams’ own 5-yard line
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Teams had to cross midfield for first downs
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Touchdowns gained 6 points
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1-point conversions were scored from 5 yards out
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2-point conversions were scored from 10 yards out
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First-half highlights
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Cleveland Browns QB Shedeur Sanders’ pass ricocheted off Cincinnati Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase’s hands, and Chicago Bears safety Kevin Byard was there to corral the deflection for an interception. Byard would have had a pick 6 had Philadelphia Eagles CB Cooper DeJean not committed a “screen block.” Sanders shook off that pick.
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Bengals QB Joe Burrow has underrated speed. He showcased it while receiving a double pass from Miami Dolphins RB De’Von Achane and then making Dallas Cowboys return specialist KaVontae Turpin miss en route to the end zone. That was the start of the AFC scoring 32 unanswered points after going down 14-0 early.
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Chase made up for the interception he caused — on defense. Playing some DB, the all-world receiver went low to vacuum a pick with his left hand. He had reservations for six, too. He arrived via backflip.
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Sanders capped a rhythmic AFC drive with a touchdown toss to Denver Broncos LT Garett Bolles, who made a convincing case for a big man to win the game’s Offensive MVP award.
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Speaking of reliable blockers, Baltimore Ravens FB Patrick Ricard also reeled in a scoring grab, and then Burrow located Bolles — a Protector of the Year finalist — for a one-point conversion to keep the jumbo theme going and hand the AFC a 32-14 advantage.
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Eagles QB Jalen Hurts hooked up with Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson for a pair of touchdowns, including one to end the NFC’s scoring drought.
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Sanders established a rapport with Houston Texans WR Nico Collins, who scored a catch-and-run touchdown on a pass from the rookie signal-caller that improved his stat line to 10-of-11, 118 passing yards, 2 scores and 1 interception.
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The Cowboys helped the NFC chip away at its deficit, thanks to QB Dak Prescott pushing the ball downfield to his everyday teammate, WR CeeDee Lamb. The duo connected for six after Lamb gobbled up YAC and dodged a flag-guarding penalty. At this point, the AFC was up 44-36.
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DeJean came up with a critical stop before the half. He appeared to pull the flag off Broncos WR Courtland Sutton just before the diving Sutton touched the pylon with the nose of the ball.
Second-half highlights
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Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Flacco dialed up a touchdown pass to Chase at the start of the second half. Chase followed it up with a Griddy celebration.
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After Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff found Los Angeles Rams WR Puka Nacua for six, Pickens climbed the ladder in the back of the end zone for a toe-tapping, two-point conversion. That made it a one-score game.
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In the wake of Sanders being picked off again — this time by Bears CB Nahshon Wright — Hurts linked up with an unlikely partner-in-crime. He pitched the ball back to Prescott, who flung a touchdown pass to Turpin. Cue a two-point conversion from Atlanta Falcons RB Bijan Robinson that knotted things up at 52-52.
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Chase shockingly dropped a would-be go-ahead touchdown, setting the stage for the NFC to reclaim the lead. Prescott fired a missile to Pickens. His sideline scoring grab and subsequent two-point conversion got the NFC amped, namely Parsons.
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Chase dropped another pass … and that deflection resulted in an interception from Winfield. The NFC capitalized on the takeaway. On fourth-and-goal, Goff beat the blitz with a pitch to Hurts, who then whipped a game-clinching touchdown pass to Lamb. Then Hurts lined up for a tush push that he ran in slow motion before the clock hit triple zeroes.
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