On a rainy Orlando day, the AFC and NFC's all stars participated in the 2019 Pro Bowl with pride and money at stake. In the end, thanks in large part to the always awesome Patrick Mahomes and a surprisingly dominant defensive performance that notched seven sacks and three interceptions and limited the NFC to 148 yards on offense, it was the AFC that emerged with an easy 26-7 win and some extra cash.

An event that has come under scrutiny for its non-competitiveness and lackadaisical style of play proceeded as advertised. Tackling was virtually nonexistent. The officials blew their whistles as soon as defensive players touched ball carriers to help prevent injuries. It looked more like two-hand touch. NFC offensive players tried their hand at playing defense. Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans secured an interception. Chargers linebacker Melvin Ingram took one carry as a running back. Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey caught a touchdown as a receiver. Chiefs fullback Anthony Sherman was the most explosive player in the game.

Technically, the Pro Bowl is a football game. But once again, it looked nothing like the kind of football that is played on most Sundays.

But with a week still to go until the Super Bowl, we'll take what we can get. And what we got was the likes of Mahomes, Russell Wilson, Ezekiel Elliott, and Saquon Barkley on one football field. To put it another way, there are worse ways to spend an otherwise football-free Sunday.

Unfortunately, we didn't get a competitive game. It was all AFC the entire way.

With Mahomes and an imposing defense leading the way, the AFC raced out to a 17-0 halftime lead. The defensive domination continued into the second half. It was a 20-0 game heading into the fourth quarter. There'd never been a shutout in the history of the Pro Bowl, but Jason Garrett's NFC team found itself 15 minutes away from making some unfortunate (and irrelevant) history.

And then this happened.

And that just about sums up the NFC's day. The NFC did, however, avoid a shutout, finally scoring a touchdown with just over nine minutes to play. But its comeback attempt fell woefully short. The AFC tacked on one final score to make it a 26-7 win. 

To the victors, go the spoils. 

And a broken trophy, which seems entirely fitting.

Read on for a few takeaways from the game.

If you still haven't marked your calendar for the Super Bowl, the game will be kicking off from Atlanta on Feb. 3 and will be televised by CBS and you can stream it right here. If you're thinking about buying a new TV for the big game, CNET has you covered. They shared their best picks for every budget.

Mahomes and Adams named MVP

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (the likely league MVP) and Jets safety Jamal Adams walked away with offensive and defensive MVP honors. 

Starting the game for the AFC, Mahomes dazzled in just over a quarter of action, going 7 of 14 for 156 yards and a touchdown. He led the AFC to two touchdown drives.

He also provided more magic, giving us another no-look pass that Steelers receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster couldn't handle.

As for Adams, who had an eventful week in Orlando involving a mascot tackle, he snagged an interception of Adam Thielen (more on that later) and recorded one sack, giving Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky one of the only hard-ish hits of the game. 

The AFC's entire defense probably deserved to win defensive MVP, but individual awards don't work like that. They held Russell Wilson, Dak Prescott, and Trubisky to 101 passing yards.

Was Anthony Sherman snubbed?

Sherman was not snubbed, but he did challenge Mahomes for offensive MVP. 

The Chiefs fullback didn't just score a touchdown from in close. He also caught three passes for 92 yards.

Sherman finished with seven touches for 103 yards and a touchdown. He was the only non-quarterback to finish with more than 100 yards.

Thielen's days as an elite QB are over

Earlier in the week, Vikings receiver Adam Thielen was the star of the Skills Challenge, where he showed off his arm. It did not translate over to the field on Sunday. 

In the third quarter, the AFC let Thielen air the ball out downfield. It didn't go well. Adams picked off the pass that looked more like a bad punt.

"I'm not one to make excuses, but it is raining pretty good out here," Thielen told ESPN on the sideline with a grin on his face.

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NFC offensive stars play defense

Down 17-0 in the third quarter, the NFC couldn't find any success on offense. So, it decided to let its offensive playmakers have fun on defense.

Allow me to introduce you to running backs Ezekiel Elliott and Saquon Barkley, who apparently moonlight as pass rushers.

Later, Saints running back Alvin Kamara got in on the pass-rushing action

But it was Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans, trying his hand at defensive back, who stole the show on defense. Not only did he manage to prevent a completion to Jarvis Landry, he picked off Deshaun Watson on the next play before beginning a lateral play that brought some excitement to an otherwise dull game.

On that note:

AFC's defenders play offense 

The AFC decided to get in on the action late in the fourth quarter when the win was already wrapped up by letting its defensive players take the field on offense. First, it was Chargers linebacker Melvin Ingram getting a carry near the goal line and almost scoring.

On the next play, Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey caught a touchdown.

Remember back when Ramsey ripped seemingly every quarterback on the planet before the season? He told GQ at the time that Watson would be "league MVP in a couple years." 

On Sunday, Watson repaid him for his kindness by gifting him an end-zone target.

Jason Garrett can't stop smiling

The Cowboys made the playoffs and Jason Garrett's job is safe. That probably explains why Garrett wouldn't stop smiling as the NFC's offense slogged its way through a miserable game. 

Minus the clapping, we got the full Garrett experience. On fourth-and-2 on the NFC's opening series, Garrett kept the offense on the field instead of kicking a field goal (good), but proceeded to settle for a fullback dive up the middle that got stuffed (not good).

In the second half, Garrett tried to challenge a play ... at the Pro Bowl.

Thankfully, it wasn't allowed.

Smith-Schuster, Allen suffer knee contusions

In the most important outcome of the Pro Bowl, Steelers receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and Chargers receiver Keenan Allen both appear to have avoided serious knee injuries. Both players left the game with what were deemed only knee contusions. 

Feel free to relive the game with our live blog below.