Sporting News

Top performers: NFC replacements Kyle Rudolph, Russell Wilson shine in Pro Bowl romp

As the 49ers and Ravens made their way to New Orleans in advance of Super Bowl XLVII, the rest of the NFL teams' stars attempted to entertain at the Pro Bowl. A look at the star turns from Hawaii, where the NFC routed the AFC 62-35 on Sunday:

1. Kyle Rudolph, TE, Minnesota Vikings. Rudolph emerged as a top NFC tight end this season, and he made the most of his opportunity to replace Falcons future Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez on the Pro Bowl roster. He was the game MVP with his five catches for 122 yards, which included a 52-yard play and a 3-yard scoring strike from Giants quarterback Eli Manning.

Kyle Rudolph makes the most of his opportunity in Hawaii. (AP Photo)

2. Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks. Wilson, a fill-in for Atlanta's Matt Ryan, put on a show as a reserve in the second half, making the most of his limited pass attempts (8-of-10, 98 yards, three third-quarter passing TDs). Not surprisingly, it was another stage that wasn't too big for the confident Seattle rookie.

3. A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals. The AFC was playing catchup for most of the game, but the NFC defense had trouble catching up with the speedy Green. He had TDs of 6, 4 and 49 yards among his seven catches for 119 total yards. He opened by connecting with Peyton Manning and ended up scoring twice for Andrew Luck.

4. Vincent Jackson, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Keeping up the NFC supersub theme, V-Jax did his best to represent as the replacement for Lions megastar Calvin Johnson. Jackson came through as a big, explosive target with six receptions for 91 yards and two TDs.

5. Victor Cruz, WR, New York Giants. What's a luau without a little salsa? Cruz danced past the AFC for a game-high 10 receptions for 96 yards. He also brought a bolt out of Big Blue to Honolulu by catching a 9-yard TD from Eli Manning.