Ricky Williams’ first trip to the Pro Bowl was worth the wait.
The Miami Dolphins’ running back rushed for 56 yards, scored two touchdowns and forced a fumble on special teams to earn the most valuable player award in the AFC’s 45-20 victory over the NFC on Sunday.
The AFC had six interceptions while beating the NFC for its sixth victory in the last seven Pro Bowls.
Starting quarterback Rich Gannon, the MVP of the regular season and the previous two Pro Bowls, went 12-for-18 for 102 yards and two TDs.
Williams, who led the NFL in rushing after three tough seasons in New Orleans, also caught three passes as the AFC jumped to a 28-6 halftime lead and eliminated the tension–already minor at best–from this good-natured exhibition.
“What’s fun is how laid-back everything is,” Williams said. “It’s always great to get in the end zone, but it’s especially great to do it against the best players in the world with millions of people watching.”
The AFC nearly broke the Pro Bowl record of 51 points set by the NFC in 2000. But Buffalo’s Eric Moulds was ruled out of bounds in the end zone with 1 minute 24 seconds left after a 36-yard pass from Indianapolis’ Peyton Manning.
Of the three Bears in the contest, only linebacker Brian Urlacher stood out with three tackles. Receiver Marty Booker didn’t have a reception and center Olin Kreutz started for the losing NFC squad.
Manning called teammate Mike Vanderjagt an “idiot kicker” during the game, three days after Vanderjagt apologized for making disparaging remarks about the Indianapolis quarterback.
Manning made the comment during a live interview on ABC. He also claimed Vanderjagt was “liquored up” at the time of the Canadian cable TV interview last week in which he said Manning should show more emotion.
