Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Tennessee Titans tight end Delanie Walker with 1:31 left in the game to give the AFC a 24-23 victory over the NFC in the Pro Bowl Sunday at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
Carr’s touchdown pass culminated a seven-play, 47-yard drive that gave the AFC its first lead of the game. Walker, the Pro Bowl Offensive Most Valuable Player, caught another touchdown pass earlier.
On the NFC’s last possession, Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff fumbled the ball while being sacked and Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller recovered the ball to secure the win.
Miller was selected the Pro Bowl’s Defensive Most Valuable Player.
–Denver Broncos executive vice president John Elway told a Denver television station last week that the team is prioritizing getting a quarterback following a 5-11 season.
The Broncos have the No. 5 pick in this year’s draft and could take a quarterback there. Elway said the team could also pursue a free agent such as Kirk Cousins or trade picks for someone such as Alex Smith.
“Any time you draft that high you have to make ’em count,” Elway told KUSA-TV. “We’ve got a lot of picks so we have the ammo also (to trade), so we’ve got to make sure we make them all count.”
Cousins, of the Washington Redskins, is expected to fetch a high price on the free agent market this year. Smith is still under contract for another season with the Kansas City Chiefs but they also have a young prospect in Patrick Mahomes II, making Smith a possible trade target.
–Not that there was much doubt at this point, but New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady should be just fine for Super Bowl LII.
Brady, who played with 12 stitches in his throwing hand in the AFC Championship Game, had those stitches removed this week, according to a report from Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. He played with tape covering the wound during the 24-20 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Brady completed 26 of 38 passes for 290 yards and two touchdowns in that game.
The 40-year-old had worn gloves at each practice since the AFC title game, but he took the glove off his throwing hand on Saturday and replaced it with tape. He was removed from the team’s injury report on Friday.
–Patriots outside linebacker James Harrison, who turns 40 in May, won’t be ready to hang up his cleats after Super Bowl LII.
“I maybe want to play a year at 40, maybe 41,” he told Mike Reiss of ESPN.com.
The Patriots picked up Harrison on waivers in December from Pittsburgh, where he played in six games for the Steelers this season. Harrison has been solid as a situational edge rusher, making 11 tackles in three games, including two in the playoffs.
Harrison will be a free agent this offseason.
–Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, as widely suspected, will become the head coach for the Indianapolis Colts after he had a second meeting with team officials, ESPN.com reported.
The hiring can’t become official until after Super Bowl LII next Sunday between the Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles.
McDaniels has been considered a strong frontrunner for the Colts job, but team officials reportedly firmed up their plans after another meeting with McDaniels on Friday. This will be his second head coaching assignment, following an 11-17 record with the Denver Broncos from 2009-10.
McDaniels, 41, rebuilt his stock in New England, where he has been the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach since 2012, working with Tom Brady.
–Philadelphia Eagles running back Jay Ajayi is trying to secure his place in history in Super Bowl LII.
Ajayi will attempt to become the fifth British-born player to claim a Super Bowl victory. He was born in Hackney, a suburb of London.
Other British natives to win a Super Bowl include Osi Umenyiora and Lawrence Tynes of the New York Giants, Marvin Allen of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Scott McCready of the Patriots.
“Talking to my friends in Europe and my family in London I tell them it’s like playing in the Champions League final or the World Cup final,” Ajayi told reporters. “It’s the pinnacle of the sport. For me, this is a dream come true. It’s just about finding a way to win. It’s about leaving my mark and legacy and being a Super Bowl champion.”