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Team Irvin edges Team Carter in Pro Bowl

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees passes during the Pro Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on January 24, 2015. Photo byKevin Dietsch/UPI
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees passes during the Pro Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on January 24, 2015. Photo byKevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Matt Ryan threw the deciding touchdown pass to Jimmy Graham late in the fourth quarter as Team Irvin edged Team Carter 32-28 in the 45th edition of the Pro Bowl.

The all-star event utilized an "unconferenced format" for the second straight year, with Hall-of-Fame receivers Cris Carter and Michael Irvin shaping the rosters as alumni captains.

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Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford got most of the work for Team Irvin, throwing for 316 yards and two touchdowns, including one of two caught by Broncos receiver Emmanuel Sanders.

Andrew Luck, the first overall pick in the skill-position portion of the draft, threw a pair of first-quarter touchdown passes for Team Carter, and Drew Brees also tossed two scores in a losing effort.

Among the slight rule changes for the exhibition was the narrowing of the goal posts from 18 to 14 feet across, and Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri missed two extra points and one of his three field goal attempts for the victors.

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Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett opted to keep his offense on the field on 4th-and-goal from the 1 with his team trailing 28-25 with 3:14 remaining, and Graham made the decision pay off by hauling in Ryan's quick pass on a slant.

Team Carter, coached by Baltimore's John Harbaugh, reached the opposing 19- yard line before Andy Dalton's fourth-down pass toward the end zone fell incomplete.

Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo led Irvin's team to a field goal in his only possession under center, and Luck capped his two drives with touchdown passes -- the first a 17-yard toss to Greg Olsen, the second a 14-yard strike to Colts teammate T.Y. Hilton.

Stafford threw a 10-yard TD pass to Sanders between Luck's two scores, then hit Graham on a 6-yard fade in the right corner of the end zone. The Saints tight end celebrated with by dunking the ball over the goal post.

Jordy Nelson's 21-yard touchdown catch from Brees gave Team Carter a 20-19 lead at halftime, and Brees opened the third quarter with a 10-yard score to Olsen. Brees hooked up with Hilton on the two-point conversion for a 28-19 advantage.

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Ryan and Sanders got together for a short TD late in the third, and Vinatieri missed the ensuing extra point and a 38-yard try at the buzzer.

Game Notes

This was the sixth consecutive year the Pro Bowl was held one week prior to the Super Bowl, thereby removing members of the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, who will meet in Super Bowl XLIX next Sunday ... Texans defensive end J.J. Watt had an interception and a fumble recovery for Team Carter ... Saints running back Mark Ingram had a game-high 72 rushing yards on 11 carries for Team Irvin ... Golden Tate and Antonio Brown both finished with 98 receiving yards ... Team Irvin amassed 611 total yards to 452 for Team Carter.

[SportsNetwork.com]

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