It wasn’t in the Cards this time.
Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald put up another stellar Pro Bowl performance with three touchdowns, but the AFC ran away with Brandon Marshall’s four in a 59-41 win on Sunday night at Aloha Stadium.
The six-time Pro Bowler Fitzgerald, the 2009 MVP of the event, wasn’t too happy about taking the consolation $25,000 instead of the winners’ $50,000.
"Before this I’d never lost a Pro Bowl, so this is definitely not my favorite," Fitzgerald said. "This would be on the bottom of the totem pole."
Another Cardinal, rookie-no-longer Patrick Peterson, was equally impressive in the first half in making two one-handed catches — one on an end-zone interception and another on a surprise pass completion to make a daring fake punt successful.
The Cardinals’ early plays had the NFC thinking victory in the first half. The 6-foot-3 Fitzgerald scored twice from Aaron Rodgers only 9 seconds apart for a 14-0 lead, thanks to an onside kick.
Once the AFC squared it at 14 and threatened to go ahead at the start of the second quarter, Peterson — the youngest player at the Pro Bowl at just 21 — stepped in front of A.J. Green and picked off Philip Rivers.
Peterson, the first player in NFL history with four punt-return touchdowns of at least 80 yards in a season, made the Pro Bowl as a kick returner. But the cornerback showed off plenty of versatility by making another nonchalant one-handed grab on a pass from punter Andy Lee, keeping alive a drive that would result in an NFC touchdown.
The highlights were few and far between for the NFC in the second half — but one of them was Fitzgerald’s 36-yard haul from Cam Newton to cap the game’s scoring with 2:37 to play. He was one of three NFC receivers to finish with triple-digit yards, along with Tony Gonzalez and Steve Smith.
The exhibition loss followed an 8-8 year that saw the Cardinals finish second in the NFC West and miss the playoffs. Fitzgerald did what he could, averaging 17.6 yards per catch and scoring six times.
The 6-foot-1 Peterson is one reason Fitzgerald is anxious to get next season going.
"He’s a special, special talent," Fitzgerald said. "I mean, the best for him is to come still. He made it over here this year All-Pro as a … returner, but his best days at corner are still to come. I’m extremely excited about that and just being around. Hopefully he doesn’t beat up on me too much in practice.
"He had two one-handers and he had the best catch of the day and he wasn’t even playing receiver."
Peterson laughed about that.
"That’s something we practice on all the time," the LSU product said. "Being a DB, you’re going in there and snagging balls with one hand, so it’s pretty natural."
Already on his resume is the rookie record for punt return yardage, at 699. Don’t be surprised if you see him in future Pro Bowls — in Hawaii or elsewhere.
"I loved every bit of it," Peterson said. "I can’t wait for next season to put on another showcase for the fans, so hopefully I can get voted back in. Keep my fingers crossed and see what happens."
