Even as the underdogs, the AFC still reigns supreme. They won their ninth Pro Bowl in the last 14 years, beating the NFC 41-34 on Sunday night as 3-point puppies on the NFL odds board. The total of 58 points was left in the dust before the fourth quarter even began. New Pro Bowl format, same Pro Bowl results.

The AFC found itself in the underdog role going into Sunday’s contest because of a relative lack of QB talent. Between injuries and the new format, which excludes players from the two Super Bowl teams, the AFC was forced to name David Garrard (83.5 passer rating) and Vince Young (82.8 rating) as the two men behind starter Matt Schaub (98.6 rating). But Garrard was a very efficient 8-of-14 with a TD pass and zero picks, while Tony Romo and Donovan McNabb each threw interceptions in relief of NFC starter Aaron Rodgers. That proved to be the difference in a back-and-forth affair that could have gone in either direction.

Garrard and Young were helped by some familiar faces on Sunday. While the NFC pretty much abandoned the run game from the beginning, Garrard handed the ball off to Jacksonville teammate Maurice Jones-Drew for a third-quarter touchdown. Then Young put the ball in the hands of Tennessee RB Chris Johnson for the winning score in the fourth. The AFC finished with 22 carries to 11 for the NFC; four of those NFC carries were by the scrambling McNabb. All this on what proved to be a damp day in Miami.

Here’s a rundown of the winning Pro Bowl prop bets, as we prepare for the NFL betting lines at the Big Game next Sunday.

Team to score first: AFC (-110)
First score of the game: Touchdown (-200)
Team with the longest TD score: NFC (-115)
NFC total team points: OVER 30.5 (-125)
AFC total team points: OVER 27.5 (-135)

The AFC got things rolling with a 33-yard TD strike from Schaub to his Houston teammate, WR Andre Johnson. But the longest major of the night belonged to the NFC, as McNabb connected on a 58-yard TD pass to DeSean Jackson – another example of synergy between one Philadelphia player and another. Schaub ended up with Pro Bowl MVP honors on a near-flawless 13-of-17 performance with two TD passes, mirroring the efforts of Rodgers (15-of-19, two TDs) for the NFC. It was the AFC holding a slight 418-417 edge in passing yards.

It was also the AFC with the key advantage on special teams. Joshua Cribbs had seven kick returns at over 30 yards a pop, plus a 65-yard punt return to leave the AFC in excellent field position. Cribbs ended the day with 279 return yards compared to 141 for the NFC. Shane Lechler was only called on to punt once for the AFC, but he made the most of it by cranking out a 54-yarder deep into enemy territory.

The AFC got the benefit of some fortunate bounces. They had the only two fumbles on this soggy Sunday, but were able to recover both times to keep the chains moving. The AFC also converted on three of their four fourth-down conversion attempts, enough to take a 26-22 advantage in first downs. Those risky decisions made a lot more sense with the two teams playing very little defense in this exhibition game.

So what’s next for the Pro Bowl? The switch to playing at the Super Bowl host venue the week before the Big Game was supposedly a one-year experiment; the NFL will be back in Honolulu the next two seasons. What we don’t know yet is whether the games will be held after the Super Bowl as was the custom. Either way, expect the Pro Bowl to do a better job of gathering and keeping talent next year.

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