Fitzgerald shines brightest in Pro Bowl

NFC star Larry Fitzgerald caught a pair of touchdown passes in Honolulu but is still feeling the sting of the Super Bowl loss. (Ronen Zilberman/Associated Press)

HONOLULU - Larry Fitzgerald played as if the Super Bowl never ended.

Fitzgerald caught five passes for 81 yards and two touchdowns, 44-year-old John Carney kicked two fourth-quarter field goals, and the NFC rallied to a 30-21 victory over the AFC.

The Cardinals' All-Pro receiver, coming off a record-breaking postseason and a spectacular Super Bowl in a loss to the Steelers, earned MVP honors. He caught a 46-yard scoring pass from Drew Brees before the half and a 2-yard TD pass from Eli Manning for the go-ahead score with 4:07 to play.

The NFC defense took care of the rest.

Fitzgerald said the victory over the AFC, which featured three members of the Steelers' defense, didn't ease the pain from the Super Bowl.

"No, not one bit," he said.

Manning, making his Pro Bowl debut, was 8 of 14 for 111 yards. While big brother Peyton had better stats, 12 of 17 for 151 yards and a TD, Eli got the win.

The Mannings are the first quarterback brothers in Pro Bowl history. And Carney, who was a perfect 3 for 3, became the oldest player in the game's history. He booted a 48-yarder with 2:06 remaining to make it 27-21 and sealed the win with a 26-yarder with 32 seconds to go. Patriots receiver Wes Welker had three catches for 23 yards.

Yesterday's game ended a successful 30-year run at Aloha Stadium, with a sellout every year. The Pro Bowl will be played in Miami next year, a week before the Super Bowl. The NFL, which has been looking to increase the profile of the game, hopes to bring it back to Hawaii.

On a sweltering day, Kurt Warner started at QB for the NFC and played just one series before making way for Brees. Warner was just 1 of 2 for 8 yards.

The question now is whether this was Warner's final game or, as a free agent, will he opt to continue playing at age 38?

"I don't know right now," Warner said. "Again, when I have a feeling one way or the other, I'll let everyone else know."