The 2012 Super Bowl score read 21-17 for the New York Giants in favor of the New England Patriots. However, the score could have been much different in so many ways in favor of both teams. When the Super Bowl started, it looked like the Giants would run all over the Patriots – and make us forget further that this was a 9-7 team who only won the NFC East because my Philadelphia Eagles didn’t show up.

But the Patriots hung around long enough in the first half to actually take the lead with one 94-yard drive. Yet when New England then seemed to take control in the second half, it was New York that hung around long enough to steal the Super Bowl with its final drive – just like four years ago.

The Giants really could have avoided needing a final drive to win, if they had taken advantage of some early opportunities. After Tom Brady was called for intentional grounding in the end zone and New York followed up with a touchdown, it was stalled from then on in. Although the Giants frequently drove into Patriots territory, they were stopped before getting into field goal range.

However, the Patriots stalled in place before they could put the Super Bowl away – most notably when Wes Welker let a ball go right through his hands in the red zone on the next-to-last drive. One play later, the Giants got the ball back at their 12-yard line, needing to make up for an iffy half with one final drive. And like Brady did about two hours earlier, Manning proved that the opposition had let him hang around too long – except he did it when it was time to win a championship.

With one now legendary sideline catch from Mario Manningham, Manning’s suddenly predictable accuracy and Ahmad Bradshaw’s accidental touchdown with 57 seconds left, the Giants finally won a Super Bowl that they could have won more easily. But New York did finally win after dominating much of the first half, then hanging around long enough to break New England’s hearts again in the second.

The final Super Bowl score was misleading in how the Giants only won by four points – although it also doesn’t say how the Patriots had their chance to win easily as well. However, it ultimately told the truth in how the right team finally pulled out another championship, no matter how it happened.

Robert Dougherty is a life-long Philadelphia resident who has followed the Eagles since he was eight years old.

Other stories by this contributor

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Here are the results of the UFC 143 fight card held on Feb. 4, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, NV.

Carlos Condit defeats Nick Diaz

Condit stuck to his game plan at UFC 143, ignoring Diaz’ antics and mixing up his attacks. Diaz was the more aggressive fighter during the fight, but Carlos landed the more damaging strikes, impressing the judges and walking away with the unanimous decision. After the decision, Diaz announced his retirement.

Fabricio Werdum defeats Roy Nelson

Werdum looked good in his first fight back with the UFC, inflicting some serious damage on Nelson in the first round. To his credit, Nelson showed a lot of heart against Werdum, but he never fully recovered from the brutal knees he received in the first round. All three judges scored the fight 30-27 in favor of Werdum.

Josh Koscheck defeats Mike Pierce

Pierce held his own against Koscheck, giving the former number one contender a tougher test than many anticipated. Koscheck regrouped in the later rounds, scoring points with a couple of takedowns and landing a few decent right hands. One Octagon-side judge scored the fight 29-28 for Pierce, while the remaining two gave Koscheck the nod.

Renan Pegado defeats Scott Jorgensen

Pegado displayed some pretty impressive takedown defense at UFC 143, stuffing all of Jorgensen’s takedown attempts (Scott pulled guard once). Unable to take Pegado to the ground, Jorgensen was forced to stand and trade. Renan was clearly the better striker, and he had no problems cruising to the unanimous decision.

Ed Herman defeats Clifford Starks

Starks did better than many MMA fans expected, pinning Herman against the cage and slowing down the “Ultimate Fighter” season three finalist’s offense. Herman eventually took the fight to the ground, but Starks switched things around, gaining top position and doing a little work. Starks went back to the clinch in the second round, but Herman secured a trip, quickly moving to Clifford’s back and securing the rear-naked choke.

Undercard:

Dustin Poirier defeats Max Holloway (triangle-armbar combo, round one)

Edwin Figueroa defeats Alex Caceres (split decision)

Matt Brown defeats Chris Cope (TKO, round two)

Matt Riddle defeats Henry Martinez (split decision)

Rafael Natal defeats Michael Kuiper (unanimous decision)

Stephen Thompson defeats Daniel Stittgen (KO, round one)

David is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and boxing practitioner that has watched and studied MMA for the past 7 years. Follow him on twitter @davidkingwriter and check out his blog.

Sources:

Fight and fighter information from Sherdog.com and UFC 143 PPV

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According to a Yahoo! Sports report, Texas Rangers outfielder and recovering drug addict Josh Hamilton said Feb. 3 that he had a relapse that started with “three or four” drinks at a Dallas-area bar this week, apologizing for a “weak moment” and insisting he will try to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

“To everybody I hurt, everybody, fans, kids, people who have addictions who look up to me, I apologize,” Hamilton said. “When you’re doing this, you don’t mean to hurt anybody. You’re only hurting yourself. But as I know, I hurt a lot of people.”

Hamilton reportedly had three or four adult beverages on Jan. 30 and then called fellow Ranger Ian Kinsler to join him at another establishment in Dallas, Texas. Hamilton said he did not drink in front of Kinsler at the bar. They left and Kinsler drove Hamilton to his car. Kinsler asked Hamilton if he was all right and if he was going home. Hamilton assured Kinsler that he was.

Eric Holden is a lifelong New York Mets fan, but he is pulling for Josh Hamilton to beat his addictions and serve as a positive role model for kids. Follow him on Twitter @ericholden.

Sources

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Al9jK9XHkiuEEnByoTb8mbURvLYF?slug=ap-rangers-hamilton, Stephen Hawkins, AP Sports

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120202&content_id=26559904&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb, T.R. Sullivan, MLB.com

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DALLAS (AP)—Rangers outfielder and recovering drug addict Josh Hamilton had a relapse this week when he drank alcohol at a bar, The Dallas Morning News reported Thursday night.

When the Rangers acquired the 28-year-old outfielder from the Cincinnati Reds on Dec. 21, 2007, they were aware of Hamilton’s off-the-field problems and came out with a “zero tolerance” policy regarding his drinking.

He is tested for drug use three times a week and has had an accountability partner to support him in his recovery—though that job is now vacant.

The Rangers announced last month that Hamilton’s father-in-law had been hired as a staff special assistant to be the accountability partner for the slugger. But Michael Dean Chadwick has since decided against accepting that position due to “family considerations.”

Hitting coach Johnny Narron filled that role before he left in November for Milwaukee. Narron joined the Rangers when Hamilton was acquired four years ago in a trade from Cincinnati. His primary role was to support the former No. 1 overall draft pick, who rebounded from his substance-abuse problems to become one of the top players in baseball.

Hamilton can become a free agent after this season, and has said he will not negotiate an extension after he reports to spring training.

He said he plans to leave for spring training on Feb. 17, a full week before the full-squad reporting date in Arizona.

Just when you thought you had seen it all from Blake Griffin, he does this.

Last night, in similar fashion to when he rose over Timofey Mosgov last season, Griffin humiliated yet another big man trying to stand between him and the rim.

Griffin has nearly a 48″ vertical leap and jumped over a (hood of) car in the dunk contest. The only reason Griffin’s display in the dunk contest wasn’t even more impressive is because we’ve come to expect too much at this point. I believe a player could somersault through the rim at this point and get at least one ’9′ from the judges while several fans chew on nachos saying “I’ve seen better…”

But we may never see much better than Griffin. He is the most electric dunker at 6’10″ that we have seen since Shawn Kemp back in the 90s, when he was flying seemingly 8 feet above the rim to catch Gary Payton’s long distance lob passes.

Payton and Kemp; Chris Paul and Griffin…Who is really better there?

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The Road to WrestleMania is in full force following the completion of the 2012 Royal Rumble. Daniel Bryan retained the World Heavyweight Title, defeating the Big Show and Mark Henry, while CM Punk retained the WWE Championship against Dolph Ziggler. Kane and John Cena fought to a double count-out, but it was Kane’s aggression towards an already injured Zack Ryder that changed the atmosphere. In the main event, Sheamus outlasted 29 other men (and women) to win the 25th Royal Rumble match. What is next for all these competitors?

CM Punk

By retaining his WWE Championship cleanly, the feud with Ziggler should be complete, setting up a possible WrestleMania showdown with Chris Jericho. At Elimination Chamber next month, I can see Ziggler as a competitor in the match, but for the time being, he won’t win a world title. The most logical feud for Punk is Jericho, especially since Punk is using the “best in the world” gimmick that Jericho once had.

Daniel Bryan

If Bryan wasn’t slowly turning into a heel, I would have loved to have Cody Rhodes win the Royal Rumble to set up a match between the two. With Bryan turning, Sheamus was a perfect choice to win the match and challenge for the World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania. I’m shocked that Bryan was able to retain the title at the Rumble, but it is a good sign for his future in WWE.

Big Show

Show needs to stop being a playful big man. He needs to turn like Henry did and become an unstoppable force. While I feel that should happen, WWE has already done that with Kane recently, so I don’t think they will want to do that again, especially so soon. Due to his size, he may be stuck in a terrible gimmick match at WrestleMania, which wouldn’t be the first time he was overlooked.

Dolph Ziggler

Ziggler put on a great performance against Punk, but much like last year’s Royal Rumble, he was unable to walk away with the world title. Despite his great all-around talent, I don’t see him getting a world title push in the first half of the year, but by the end of 2012, he should be wearing a world title.

Cody Rhodes

Outside of The Miz, no other WWE Superstar lasted as long in the Rumble as Rhodes. As Michael Cole mentioned during the telecast, this is something WWE has done with Rhodes throughout his career. He was my pick to win, so I got that wrong, but much like Ziggler, a world title should be in his future before the end of the year.

For 2011 title recaps and more great wrestling articles, go here.

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Hobson Lopes has been a fan of professional wrestling since watching SummerSlam 1992 with his father and can be followed on Twitter @HobsonLopes.

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For the Boston Red Sox, pitchers seem to come and go every day, as the team builds its roster ahead of the 2012 season. Fans like me in Red Sox Nation wait for word on whether Roy Oswalt will join the rotation. They note in passing the addition of yet another broken-down starter signed to a long-shot minor league deal, this time former New York Mets pitcher John Maine.

Down in Florida, someone watches all the pitching moves with far more interest than the average fan. Tim Wakefield would like to return to the Red Sox for another year and continue his pursuit of the team’s all-time wins record. But, so far at least, the phone isn’t ringing.

“I just saw that Posada retired,” Wakefield says. “You know it’s something that my wife and I need to talk about. I’d probably need to talk about it with my kids, too. Ultimately, I would like to obviously play for the Boston Red Sox for one more year and see where it goes.”

Boston general manager Ben Cherington is stockpiling pitchers this offseason, searching for a serviceable starter who might give the Red Sox some innings. He is giving players like Aaron Cook, Carlos Silva and Vincente Padilla chances to make the rotation.

But it doesn’t look like the club is going to give one of the most popular Red Sox players a chance to win a roster spot. Apparently, Wakefield is not going to get the seven wins he needs to pass Cy Young and Roger Clemens to become the winningest pitcher in Red Sox history with 193 victories.

Wakefield is not currently on the Red Sox roster, since his contract expired at the end of last season, and new Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine doesn’t think the knuckleballer will be in Fort Myers for spring training. Nor does he see the team asking Wakefield to come in to try to win a roster spot.

“I couldn’t imagine having Wake come in and compete for a job,” Valentine says. “I can’t imagine it. I know the situation right now is that everyone I’ve seen on the 40-man roster, at least I’ve heard about, seen on film and the reports I’ve seen, those are guys you don’t really want to take off the 40-man roster and lose them. It’s a tough situation.”

Wakefield has been a member of the Red Sox pitching staff for 17 seasons. There is a generation of fans who have grown up considering him a permanent fixture at Fenway Park. Now that might be over. He wants to keep playing, but he doesn’t seem overly enthusiastic about doing it anywhere but Boston.

“There have been a number of clubs who have called, who have an interest in signing me but I’m kind of just weighing my options right now,” he says. “I think I can be a valuable asset to them as an insurance policy, you know a fifth or sixth starter or if something doesn’t pan out for some of the guys they have already penciled in to the rotation. You know that’s kind of been my job these last two years; I don’t have a problem doing that. I’m not closing any doors.”

Unfortunately, those doors may have closed anyway.

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Rick Blaine, an award-winning broadcaster and columnist, is a lifelong Red Sox fan.

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The NFL Pro Bowl is known for its trick plays, top-notch talents making exciting plays and, of course, having players suit up who are nowhere near deserving of the opportunity.

QB Philip Rivers of the San Diego Chargers is not only undeserving as a Pro Bowler, but also is a player that made it solely on his reputation as a top player at the position in the league.

So let’s take a look at Philip Rivers and some others in this 2012 Pro Bowl that the league should have reconsidered bringing to Hawaii.

Philip Rivers, QB, San Diego Chargers

There is no doubt the league knows what this talent is made of.

Rivers has thrown for four-consecutive 4,000-yard seasons and continues to make his living off of his ability to be successful throwing deep.

Yet, what fans and the league forgets is that the Pro Bowl is based on the play of a player during the course of the season—it is an award that must not take into account an entire career of a player.

In 2011, Rivers threw a career-high 20 interceptions and ultimately would cost his team a chance at playing in the NFL Playoffs. Eight of the 16 games Rivers played he either threw an equal number of or more interceptions than touchdowns.

If Rivers deserves a Pro Bowl entry, so do a handful of other QBs in the AFC.

Andy Dalton, QB, Cincinnati Bengals

Considering it was his rookie season, Andy Dalton had a remarkable first season in the NFL.

Yet, was it Pro Bowl worthy? Not a chance.

This season, Dalton threw for 3,398 yards, 20 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. After a hot start to the regular season, Dalton would finish with just six touchdowns in seven games to go along with four interceptions.

As impressive as Dalton was for the Bengals in his rookie season, it is important to understand that Dalton cannot be an exception. If his numbers and production were not where they had to be, regardless if he is a rookie or not, Dalton is an undeserving 2012 Pro Bowler.

Greg Jennings, WR, Green Bay Packers

How is it that the receiver with the third-most yards in the NFL will be sitting at home watching the Pro Bowl?

New York Giants WR Victor Cruz was outright robbed of a spot in the NFL Pro Bowl.

Meanwhile, star Packers WR Greg Jennings failed to reach 1,000 yards and will be playing in the Pro Bowl.

Cruz had 1,536 yards and nine touchdowns on the season, while Jennings had just 949 yards and nine touchdowns on the year. Jennings is known as a big-time receiver in the league, while Cruz has just burst onto the scene.

Another case of reputation over production, an undeserving Jennings finds himself a spot in the Pro Bowl in 2012.

By Scott Garbarini, NFL Editor, Sports Network

(Sports Network) – A select number of the NFL’s best players will be making a trip to Hawaii to participate in this Sunday’s AFC-NFC Pro Bowl, though the league’s annual all-star game will be lacking some of its star power once again due to a variety of factors.

This will mark the third consecutive year in which the Pro Bowl will be held one week prior to the Super Bowl, thereby removing members of the New England Patriots and New York Giants that were chosen to play in Sunday’s exhibition from their conference respective rosters once those teams qualified for the upcoming championship game.

The AFC has been hit particularly hard by the rule, as the Patriots had seven starters and eight players overall invited to Honolulu. That list included such notable names as quarterback Tom Brady, wide receiver Wes Welker and tight end Rob Gronkowski.

In contrast, San Francisco’s overtime loss to the Giants last weekend may have turned out to be the NFC’s gain, as a conference-best eight 49ers had been picked to the initial squad and just two New York players — quarterback Eli Manning and defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul — had made the list.

San Francisco will ultimately send six representatives to the contest, with running back Frank Gore, cornerback Carlos Rogers and safety Dashon Goldson all withdrawing after citing injuries and veteran long snapper Brian Jennings recently added as a need player. Six Green Bay Packers, headlined by quarterback Aaron Rodgers, will also be on the final NFC roster, with head coach Mike McCarthy and his staff directing the team.

Following New England’s defections, Baltimore had led the AFC corps with eight selections before four Ravens (running back Ray Rice, defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, outside linebacker Terrell Suggs and safety Ed Reed) all pulled out shortly after the club’s loss to the Patriots in this past Sunday’s conference championship. That leaves AFC West champion Denver with a team-high six players, although popular quarterback Tim Tebow was not among those named.

Brady’s departure elevates Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger to the starting signal-caller’s post for the AFC, which will be coached by Houston’s Gary Kubiak, with Rogers first to lead the NFC offense before likely giving way to New Orleans record-setter Drew Brees.

The unavailability of both Brady and Manning has also opened up spots for a pair of first-year quarterbacks, Cincinnati’s Andy Dalton and Carolina sensation Cam Newton. The two will become the first rookies at the position to make the Pro Bowl since Vince Young during the 2006 season.

This will be the 32nd time in the past 33 years in which the Pro Bowl will be held at Aloha Stadium, with the 2010 edition having taken place at Miami’s Sun Life Stadium.

SERIES HISTORY

The NFC took a 21-20 lead in the all-time series of the Pro Bowl following a wild 55-41 victory in Honolulu last January, the second-highest scoring total in the game’s 41-year history, and has now won three of the last four holdings. The AFC halted a string of two straight losses with a 41-34 verdict in Miami in 2010.

Prior to the AFL-NFL merger, the leagues held separate All-Star games after the season from 1961-69. The NFL had its own Pro Bowl from 1951-60, while the league champion competed against an assembled group of top players between 1938-42.

McCarthy will be leading the NFC team for the second time in his career, having coached the conference to a 42-30 triumph in the 2008 Pro Bowl, while Kubiak has never previously had the honor.

AFC OFFENSE VS. NFC DEFENSE

New England’s inclusion in Super Bowl XLVI, combined with the absence of Rice and two injured linemen — Miami tackle Jake Long and Pittsburgh center Maurkice Pouncey — will give the first-team AFC offense a far different look than originally comprised, as five Patriots (Brady, Welker, Gronkowski and guards Logan Mankins and Brian Waters) had been tabbed as starters. Roethlisberger (4077 passing yards, 21 TD, 14 INT) will play after an ankle sprain that hobbled him down the stretch of the regular season had time to heal following the Steelers‘ early playoff ousting, with San Diego’s Philip Rivers (4624 passing yards, 27 TD, 20 INT) next in line and Dalton (3398 passing yards, 20 TD, 13 INT) rounding out the conference’s quarterback group. The Cincinnati youngster figures to be firing passes in the direction of teammate A.J. Green (65 receptions, 1057 yards, 7 TD), bumped up into a starter’s role in place of Welker, as the first rookie quarterback/wide receiver pairing from the same organization to make the Pro Bowl, with Pittsburgh speedster Mike Wallace (72 receptions, 1193 yards, 8 TD) having the same familiarity with Roethlisberger. Jacksonville standout Maurice Jones-Drew (1606 rushing yards, 43 receptions, 11 total TD) will open up in a backfield that won’t contain Rice or Houston’s Arian Foster, with Denver’s Willis McGahee (1199 rushing yards, 12 receptions, 5 total TD) and the Chargers‘ Ryan Mathews (1091 rushing yards, 6 TD, 50 receptions) filling those slots. The 30-year-old McGahee will be making his second career Pro Bowl appearance and first since 2007.

The selected NFC starting defense won’t be undergoing a whole lot of changes, with Rogers the lone honoree to bow out of the contest. The 49ers will still have a presence on the unit, however, with disruptive tackle Justin Smith (58 tackles, 7.5 sacks) and inside linebacker Patrick Willis (97 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 INT) each receiving well-deserved citations for their contributions to one of the NFL’s stingiest defenses in 2011. Even without Pierre-Paul, the conference won’t be bereft of top-notch pass rushers, as Minnesota end Jared Allen (66 tackles, 1 INT) led the league with 22 sacks and Dallas outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware (58 tackles, 19.5 sacks) and Philadelphia end Jason Babin (40 tackles, 18 sacks) finished second and third, respectively, in that category. Rogers will be replaced in the opening lineup by Chicago’s Charles Tillman (99 tackles, 1 sack, 3 INT) in the veteran corner’s first trip to Honolulu, while 35-year-old Charles Woodson (74 tackles, 2 sacks, 7 INT) garnered his eighth career Pro Bowl nod on the opposite side and joins outside linebacker and Green Bay teammate Clay Matthews (50 tackles, 6 sacks, 3 INT) as a starter.

NFC OFFENSE VS. AFC DEFENSE

Rodgers (4643 passing yards, 45 TD, 6 INT) will the first up out of an absolutely loaded NFC crop of quarterbacks after setting an new NFL single-year standard with a 122.5 passer rating. The prolific Brees (5476 passing yards, 46 TD, 14 INT), meanwhile, shattered Dan Marino’s 27-year-old mark for passing yards in his banner 2011 campaign, while the dynamic Newton (4051 passing yards, 21 TD, 17 INT) threw for more yards than any rookie in league history. That stellar trio won’t have the luxury of working with perhaps the best receiver in the game today, however, with Detroit superstar Calvin Johnson declining to attend because of a sore Achilles tendon, though the combo of Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald (80 receptions, 1411 yards, 8 TD) — the 2009 Pro Bowl MVP — and Carolina veteran Steve Smith (79 receptions, 1394 yards, 7 TD) alongside New Orleans tight end and first-time selection Jimmy Graham (99 receptions, 1310 yards, 11 TD) ensures there will be more than enough elite targets to go around. The backfield also possesses two quality pass-catchers in Philadelphia first-timer LeSean McCoy (1309 rushing yards, 48 receptions, 20 total TD) and Chicago’s Matt Forte (997 rushing yards, 52 receptions, 4 total TD), slated to participate despite missing the final four weeks of the regular season with a sprained knee. Graham is one of three Saints chosen as starters, along with the stout guard tandem of Carl Nicks and Jahri Evans.

The decision of Baltimore’s terrific trio of Ngata, Suggs and Reed to all skip this event further depletes an AFC defense that also lost a pair of key Patriots — tackle Vince Wilfork and injured end Andre Carter — to the front line. The starting crew will now have a strong Denver look to it, with end Elvis Dumervil (42 tackles, 9.5 sacks) and decorated safety Brian Dawkins (51 tackles, 3 sacks) joining dazzling rookie linebacker Von Miller (64 tackles, 11.5 sacks) and seasoned cornerback Champ Bailey (39 tackles, 2 INT, 10 PD) in the opening lineup following the roster shuffle. Bailey was named to the Pro Bowl for the 11th time, the most by a corner in league history, while the 38- year-old Dawkins has now earned nine such laurels over the course of his distinguished career. Ravens inside linebacker Ray Lewis (95 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 INT) has both men beat, as the two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year will be part of the AFC team for the 13th time. He’ll start alongside Miller and Kansas City pass rusher Tamba Hali (66 tackles), whose 12 sacks trailed only Suggs’ 14 for tops in the conference this season.

SPECIAL TEAMS

There will be a distinct Bay Area flavor here, with the kicker, punter and long snapper from both sides all coming from either the Raiders or 49ers. Oakland’s Shane Lechler will be competing for the AFC for a fifth consecutive year after producing a 50.8 gross punting average, behind only San Francisco’s Andy Lee (50.9 ypg) for the league lead, and Lee’s 44.0 net average set a new NFL record that had been held by Lechler and enabled the eighth-year pro to make his third career Pro Bowl. Teammate David Akers also etched his name in the record books by registering new league highs for field goals made (44) and attempted (52) in a season, with that excellent performance landing the ex-Philadelphia Eagle a spot as the NFC’s kicker for a third straight year and sixth time overall. The Raiders’ Sebastian Janikowski will be headed to Honolulu for the first time, however, after the burly kicker connected on 31-of-35 three-point tries and an impressive 7-of-10 from beyond 50 yards. Jennings and Oakland’s Jon Condo were added to the rosters as long snappers this week, with both specialists receiving their second career Pro Bowl nods.

The rest of the special teams selections will contain predominantly newcomers, highlighted by electrifying Arizona rookie Patrick Peterson’s choice as the NFC’s return man. The Cardinals cornerback tied an NFL record with four punt return scores while averaging 15.9 yards per runback. Pittsburgh’s Antonio Brown gets the call for the AFC after averaging a solid 27.3 yards on kickoffs and 10.9 on punts, and the second-year wideout should also see time on offense after compiling over 1,100 receiving yards during the regular season. Chicago’s Corey Graham and Jacksonville’s Montell Owens, who’ll be taking the spot of New England’s Matthew Slater, were honored as special-teams coverage players and are each regarded among the league’s best at that aspect.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

While it’s near impossible to gauge how the players will approach what’s essentially a meaningless exhibition and a hard-earned vacation, recent history does indicate that the game is almost certain to contain a massive amount of scoring, with the winning team having put up 38 points or more in nine of the last 12 Pro Bowls. The NFC has had the upper hand as of late and will also be coming in with less of a roster purge than the AFC, which had eight players withdraw due to injury in addition to having to replace eight Patriots. With the two best quarterbacks in this contest (Rodgers and Brees) also on that side, not to mention a multi-talented threat in Newton who should be eager to showcase his unique skills against some of the league’s best on a national stage, and the blue team appears to be the better bet.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: NFC 45, AFC 34