Pro Bowl 2012: Why the NFC Quarterbacks Guarantee the Conference Will Win

It's fair to say that any player selected to the NFL's Pro Bowl roster has already won. In winning a spot on their conference's team, they receive a free trip to Hawaii, get to bring their families along if they so choose and have a week to socialize with some of the very best players in the league.

But there is a game to be played, albeit an exhibition, between the top players in the AFC and NFC, and though the outcome is mostly inconsequential, there's no doubt that the players still want to win.

This year, it's the NFC that has the advantage, and it's simply because of the quarterbacks they will be fielding.

The Pro Bowl has a number of rules that are meant to prevent injury to the league's star players and they benefit the offenses the most. All defenses must be in a 4-3 and there is no blitzing. There are no three receiver sets on a single side, and there are no penalties for intentional grounding.

These different rules generally result in high scoring games, and the fact that they benefit quarterbacks more than any other player is the top reason why the NFC will prevail in this year's Pro Bowl.

At quarterback, the NFC will be starting the Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers, the New Orleans Saints' Drew Brees and Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers.

In contrast, the AFC is fielding the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, the San Diego Chargers' Philip Rivers and Andy Dalton of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Clearly, the advantage goes to the NFC, though the AFC quarterbacks are extremely talented in their own rights.

Though the teams have just three days to practice together and get to know each others' playing styles, Brees, Rodgers and Newton simply have too much talent between them to fail to score enough points to beat the AFC squad.

They'll be throwing to Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, Steve Smith of the Panthers, the Packers' Greg Jennings and Roddy White of the Atlanta Falcons.

The fact that a receiver of Fitzgerald's caliber will be catching Rodgers' passes is downright scary; if they don't connect for more than one touchdown, it will be surprising.

The Pro Bowl doesn't get the ratings befitting the star power of the men who play in it, which is a shame. This game is the final time this season that fans will be able to see Rodgers, Brees and Newton putting up video game-style numbers, in what's basically a live-action fantasy football matchup.

It's been an NFL season that has celebrated the quarterback, and it's quite likely that the play of three of the league's best will propel the NFC to its second straight Pro Bowl victory. It wouldn't hurt to watch.