Six Turnovers by AFC and One Victory by NFC
NFC 23, AFC 17

Associated Press
Monday, February 13, 2006

HONOLULU, Feb. 12 -- Derrick Brooks and the NFC's solid defense gave the NFL's so-called inferior conference something to feel good about.

Brooks returned an interception 59 yards for a touchdown, the AFC committed six of the Pro Bowl's 10 turnovers, and the NFC rallied for a sloppy 23-17 victory Sunday in a game that didn't turn out to be the offensive show most expected.

Brooks, the Tampa Bay linebacker playing in his ninth straight Pro Bowl, was honored as the game's outstanding player and received a car on the field shortly after the game ended.

Neil Rackers kicked a 22-yard field goal with 6 minutes 29 seconds left to give the NFC a 20-17 lead. With Seattle's Matt Hasselbeck at quarterback, the NFC moved 59 yards before its drive stalled, and Coach John Fox was booed for opting for the field goal on fourth and two.

Steve McNair mishandled two snaps from center after that, and the NFC recovered both. Jeremiah Trotter fell on the second one at the AFC 18, and Rackers kicked a 20-yard field goal with 1:10 left to complete the scoring.

The AFC reached the NFC 49 before McNair threw three incompletions and was sacked by Michael Strahan on the game's final play.

AFC teams have won five of the past six Super Bowls, including Pittsburgh's 21-10 triumph over Seattle on Feb. 5, and the NFC had lost four of the last five Pro Bowls entering this one.

It was the lowest-scoring Pro Bowl since the AFC's 23-10 decision in 1999. The teams averaged a combined 73.7 points in the past six Pro Bowls, including the NFC's 55-52 victory two years ago and the AFC's 38-27 triumph last year.

The series that went to its present format in 1971 is tied 18-18.

Brooks made the game's sixth interception when he picked off a pass by Trent Green and ran it back with 5:01 to play in the third quarter, giving the NFC a 17-10 lead.

The AFC tied it with 12:47 remaining on a one-yard sneak by Green, capping a 68-yard drive after Champ Bailey recovered a fumble by Santana Moss.

The game was tied 10-10 after an ugly first half. The AFC's Peyton Manning threw three interceptions, the NFC's Hasselbeck and Michael Vick one each, and there were several false starts and overthrows.