Fitzgerald snares MVP as NFC wins Pro Bowl

Game MVP Larry Fitzgerald pulls in a fourth-quarter touchdown from Eli Manning.

HONOLULU - With a huge red lei around his neck and a wide grin that could have stretched across Oahu, Larry Fitzgerald held up the gleaming, silver MVP trophy. It sparkled in the sunshine as much as his game.

The only problem: It wasn't the Lombardi Trophy.

Fitzgerald caught five passes for 81 yards and two touchdowns, 44-year-old John Carney kicked two fourth-quarter field goals, and the NFC rallied to a 30-21 victory over the AFC in the Pro Bowl yesterday.

The Arizona Cardinals' All-Pro receiver, coming off a record-breaking postseason and a spectacular Super Bowl in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, earned MVP honors.

But he said the victory over the AFC, which featured three members of the Steelers' defense, didn't ease the pain from the Super Bowl.

"No, not one bit," he said.

Fitzgerald also took home keys to a new Cadillac.

"I'm just glad we won, that's the most important thing," he said.

On a sweltering day, with 60 percent humidity, Kurt Warner started for the NFC and played just one series before making way for Drew Brees. Warner was just 1-of-2 for eight yards.

"I would've liked to have won last week and not this week, if I could switch them out," he said.

Fitzgerald caught a 46-yard scoring pass from Brees before the half and a two-yard TD pass from Eli Manning for the go-ahead score with 4:07 to play.

The NFC defense took care of the rest.

Manning, making his Pro Bowl debut, was 8-of-14 for 111 yards. While big brother Peyton had better stats, 12-of-17 for 151 yards and a TD, Eli got the win.

"He didn't play the whole second half, so it's not about beating my brother, it's just about having fun," Eli Manning said.

The Manning brothers were the first quarterback brothers in Pro Bowl history. And Carney, who was a perfect 3-for-3, became the oldest player in the game's history. He booted a 48-yarder with 2:06 remaining to make it 27-21 and sealed the win with a 26-yarder with 32 seconds to go.

Yesterday's game ended a successful 30-year run at Aloha Stadium, with a sellout every year. The Pro Bowl will be played in Miami next year, a week before the Super Bowl. The NFL, which has been looking to increase the profile of the game, hopes to bring the game back to Hawaii.

The players, who spent most of the week by the beach and sipping umbrella-adorned mai tais, were pretty unanimous in wanting the game to return.

For Warner, the question now is whether this was his final game in the NFL or, as a free agent, will he opt to continue playing at age 38?

"I don't know right now," Warner said, adding, "we'll make a decision as soon as we can."