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Super Bowl LII is a full week away, but football was still played on Sunday. Well, a slightly modified version of football was played at the Pro Bowl on Sunday, when the NFC and AFC's best players -- minus members of the Patriots and Eagles -- took part in an exhibition game that involved soft tackles, trick plays, and many interceptions.

If you hoped the Pro Bowl would somehow fix itself and provide an actual football game filled with hard hits, top-notch effort, and high-level football, you walked away sorely disappointed. If you wanted a close game that came down to the wire, you got what you wanted. 

The NFC built a 20-3 lead by halftime, but the AFC made a game out of it by cutting the deficit to three points in the third quarter. With three minutes left in the game, the Derek Carr-quarterback AFC squad trailed by six points and faced a fourth-and-7. Carr hit Dolphins receiver Jarvis Landry for a first down. A slant to Colts receiver T.Y. Hilton on the other side of the two-minute warning got the AFC inside the red zone. A dart from Carr to Titans tight end Delanie Walker gave the AFC their first lead of the game with 91 seconds remaining.

Broncos pass rusher Von Miller ended the game by strip-sacking Rams quarterback Jared Goff and recovering the fumble.

That's how the AFC completed a 17-point comeback in the second half and won 24-23. Read on for six takeaways from the Pro Bowl.

1. To the victors go the spoils

For most of the game, the tackling was nonexistent. But once the fourth quarter began, the players upped their intensity and starting to actually hit each other. Why? 

Money.

Take it from Sean Payton, the coach of the NFC:

It didn't work out so well for him -- his team blew a 17-point lead, losing by one point in the end and as result, losing out on $32,000.

2. Delanie Walker and Von Miller win MVP

The Titans' tight end took home offensive MVP honors while the Broncos' pass rusher won defensive MVP.

Walker's winning touchdown catch was his second score of the game. He finished with four catches, 29 yards and two touchdowns. Here's a look at his first touchdown, which cut the lead to 10 points in the third quarter:

This is just what he does:

The real MVP? Walker's cleats:

To win defensive MVP, Miller finished with three tackles, one sack, one pass defended. He also added two quarterback hits. Most importantly, he ended the game with his strip-sack. 

3. Saints, Vikings make up

Not too long ago, the Vikings ended the Saints' season with a walk-off Hail Mary -- aka the Minneapolis Miracle. The Vikings would go on to get thumped by the Eagles in the NFC title game, which ended their own season. At the Pro Bowl, the Saints and Vikings had a chance to make up. 

So, that's what they did:

It ended up being a good day for the Vikings; safety Harrison Smith returned an interception for a touchdown.

4. It rained interceptions

It rained in Orlando on Sunday -- not just water, also interceptions. The AFC's quarterbacks suffered three picks combined -- Carr, Alex Smith and Ben Roethlisberger all had one -- while Russell Wilson threw the NFC's lone interception (Goff and Drew Brees did not get picked off).

Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson came down with two picks. His first occurred in the end one:

His second victimized Carr in the fourth quarter. 

Naturally, given his contributions, Peterson thought he was robbed (most likely for defensive MVP).

But the most fun interception of the afternoon belonged to the AFC. Chargers cornerback Casey Hayward picked off Wilson and then a makeshift lateral play ensued. This is what we want to see at the Pro Bowl:

5. T.Y. Hilton vs. Patrick Peterson

Peterson did get burned at least once, though, when Colts receiver T.Y. Hilton won a jump ball deep downfield against the Cardinals corner. This was impressive:

It was even cooler from the sideline cam:

6. Steelers trickery

Pittsburgh's star trio of Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, and Le'Veon Bell got to share the field. Though they didn't combine for any touchdowns, they didn't fail for a lack of trying.

Here's a pass by Brown that also involved touches by Big Ben and Bell:

And here's Big Ben and Bell executing a flea-flicker for a first down.

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