Peterson Earns Pro Bowl Honors

HONOLULU (AP) -- Vikings running back Adrian Peterson stood in front of the car he had just won as MVP of the Pro Bowl, leaned against the red roof and soaked in the acclaim.

Quite a way to finish off a rookie season.

Peterson, the NFL's offensive rookie of the year, ran for 129 yards and two touchdowns and Terrell Owens made up for early sloppiness with two TD receptions as the NFC rallied past the AFC 42-30 Sunday.

Peterson was the first to rush for more than 100 yards in the Pro Bowl since Marshall Faulk ran for 180 and Chris Warren 127 in 1995. He joined Faulk as the only rookies to be voted Pro Bowl MVP.

"Good company," Peterson said. "We didn't get into the playoffs, so for me to come here and do this at the Pro Bowl means a lot. I came with a goal: win the game and be MVP."

Owens' 6-yard catch from Tampa Bay's Jeff Garcia provided the winning points, giving him the MVP lead. But Peterson then scored another TD on a 6-yard run to lay claim on the wheels. Owens had eight catches for 101 yards.

Adrian Peterson Pro Bowl Highlights from NFL.com

Peterson had several highlight runs, particularly a 39-yarder on one TD drive, and a 17-yarder down the left sideline for a 28-27 NFC lead early in the third quarter. Four defenders missed him on that run.

"He's like lightning in a bottle," Denver safety John Lynch said. "There's probably a handful of guys that you could say that has it all. And he's got that. He's got a little attitude to him. He's going to wreak havoc in this league for a long time."

Neither side held back the tricks, to the delight of the sellout crowd of 50,044 at Aloha Stadium. There was a fake punt, a throwback kickoff return and a handful of fourth-down gambles.

One of those was a 34-yard pass to Owens from fellow Cowboy Tony Romo that started the comeback after the AFC took a 24-7 lead.

Before that play, Owens had two ugly drops that drew boos.

NFC players won $40,000 each, which Owens said made the trip to the islands even better.

"Hopefully they'll continue to play it over here and we will continue to make some highlight plays," he said.

The AFC led 27-21 at halftime, and the 48 first-half points tied a Pro Bowl record.

The AFC leads the series, 20-18.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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