Pro Bowl 2015: Final Score and Stats for NFL Showcase's Top Stars
The 2015 Pro Bowl marked the second straight year of an unconferenced format, and for the second straight year, it produced a down-to-the wire finish, as Team Irvin edged Team Carter 32-28.
Like most Pro Bowls, Sunday's edition featured plenty of high-octane action on the offensive side of the ball. The two teams tallied well over 1,000 yards of offense and combined for 54 first downs. Although, this year showcased some impressive defensive play as well, as J.J. Watt, Elvis Dumervil and Brent Grimes made their presences felt.
With this All-Star showcase now in the books, here's a look at the stat lines from the game's top performers, followed by a recap of the action.
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Pro Bowl Stat Lines
| Drew Brees | 13/21 | 163 | 2 | 1 | 97.9 |
| Andrew Luck | 9/10 | 119 | 2 | 0 | 155.8 |
| Andy Dalton | 9/20 | 69 | 0 | 0 | 54.0 |
| Matthew Stafford | 15/25 | 316 | 2 | 1 | 114.2 |
| Matt Ryan | 11/16 | 104 | 2 | 0 | 126.0 |
| Tony Romo | 4/6 | 43 | 0 | 0 | 87.5 |
| Antonio Brown | 6 | 98 | 0 |
| Greg Olsen | 3 | 52 | 2 |
| Jordy Nelson | 3 | 41 | 1 |
| T.Y. Hilton | 3 | 40 | 1 |
| Golden Tate | 2 | 98 | 0 |
| Odell Beckham Jr. | 5 | 89 | 0 |
| Emmanuel Sanders | 5 | 70 | 2 |
| Jimmy Graham | 3 | 30 | 2 |
| John Kuhn | 2 | 31 | 0 | 2 | 13 |
| Justin Forsett | 3 | 31 | 0 | 5 | 53 |
| Alfred Morris | 5 | 29 | 0 | 4 | 29 |
| Jamaal Charles | 4 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mark Ingram | 11 | 72 | 0 | 2 | 17 |
| Darren Sproles | 3 | 42 | 0 | 6 | 79 |
| DeMarco Murray | 3 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| C.J. Anderson | 5 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lawrence Timmons | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aqib Talib | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Antonio Cromartie | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| J.J. Watt | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Von Miller | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Luke Kuechly | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Elvis Dumervil | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Brent Grimes | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
Pro Bowl Recap
Alumni captain Michael Irvin selected a bevy of Dallas Cowboys for a reason. This unit had a great deal of success during the season and ran one of the league's most balanced offenses. Well, thanks to some great offensive line play, the efforts of quarterback Tony Romo and the elusive DeMarco Murray, Team Irvin struck first when a 32-yard Adam Vinatieri field goal capped off a 10-play, 61-yard drive.
Although, while Irvin's tactics paid off early, so did Cris Carter's. He selected Andrew Luck as his quarterback, and the move paid off on his team's first drive of the game. Luck completed all five of his passes to four different receivers, culminating in a 17-yard touchdown strike to Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen, giving Team Carter the lead.
Team Irvin fired right back with a new quarterback under center. Matthew Stafford completed a long catch-and-run to teammate Golden Tate, who was finally stopped at Team Carter's 10-yard line. One toss to Emmanuel Sanders later, Team Irvin regained the lead.
That didn't last long, however, as Luck got back to work on the ensuing drive. He hooked up with Antonio Brown, Justin Forsett and teammate T.Y. Hilton to move down to the Team Irvin 14-yard line. Using his chemistry with Hilton, Luck fired a touchdown strike to reclaim the lead for Team Carter.
The game's second quarter saw an increase in defensive efforts, as the first drive for Drew Brees ended with a punt. Stafford came back on the field for Team Irvin and picked up right where he left off, completing a 48-yarder to Odell Beckham Jr., a 29-yarder to Sanders and a six-yard touchdown pass to Jimmy Graham, who promptly dunked the ball through the uprights.
Stafford's performance earned him MVP honors, and the Detroit Lions' official Twitter account relayed the significance of his impressive outing:
On the ensuing drive, Team Carter made a rather odd call, deciding to go for a 4th-and-6 on its own 29-yard line. That attempt failed, giving Team Irvin great field position. Still, Team Carter's defense limited the damage, holding up nicely and forcing another short Vinatieri field goal.
Staring at a six-point deficit, Brees returned to the field with a vengeance, completing all five of his passing attempts to four different receivers en route to a seven-play, 75-yard scoring drive that was capped off by a Jordy Nelson touchdown reception. That would be the last score of the first half, and the game entered the break with Team Carter leading Team Irvin 20-19.
The start of the third quarter saw the game begin to seemingly get out of hand for Team Irvin, as a Stafford fumble at his own 22-yard line set up a quick touchdown strike from Brees to Olsen, increasing Team Carter's lead to 28-19 following a successful two-point conversion.
Joe Person of The Charlotte Observer tweeted a quote from the tight end regarding his Pro Bowl experience:
Following another Stafford fumble, Matt Ryan entered the game in an effort to get Team Irvin back into the mix. He was enormously successful on his first drive, combining with Mark Ingram to go 80 yards in 10 plays, capping off the drive with a one-yard touchdown strike to Sanders and pulling his team within three points.
That would set up a dramatic fourth quarter, as Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton entered the game for Team Carter and failed to move the ball effectively on his first two drives, opening the door for Ryan to complete his comeback bid.
With just over eight minutes remaining in the game, Ryan orchestrated a brilliant drive utilizing the running game and completing short passes to methodically move the ball down the field, killing precious time in the process. The drive concluded with a one-yard touchdown pass to Graham, and Team Irvin was suddenly back in the driver's seat, holding a four-point lead with just over three minutes remaining.
Pro Football on ESPN tweeted its reaction:
Dalton took the field looking to produce a game-winning drive of his own. He got Team Carter off to a nice start, completing a pair of passes to Alfred Morris and Hilton to near midfield.
Following a 13-yard completion to Forsett, Dalton had his squad poised to strike at the Team Irvin 19-yard line. However, that's where the quarterback fizzled, as his next four passes fell incomplete and Team Carter turned the ball over on downs.
While this certainly wasn't a hard-hitting Pro Bowl filled with gritty runs, huge quarterback takedowns and crushing hits over the middle, it still provided quality entertainment for fans looking to see their favorite players in action one last time before a new league year begins.
The format may not be perfect—it's still a little strange seeing teammates go head-to-head—but after another intriguing edition, this game appears to be headed in the right direction.
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