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Eagles All-Stars Shine Bright In 2014 Pro Bowl
Published27 Jan 2014
DeSean Jackson finished with 40 receiving yards in the Pro Bowl including a first-quarter 36 yard touchdown catch from Colts quarterback Andrew Luck. Meanwhile, Eagles quarterback Nick Foles took home offensive MVP honors in his first Pro Bowl appearance. (Image coutesy of Philly.com)
In the only game all year where the final score is in fact meaningless and the NFL's stars are on display one final time, it was the Philadelphia Eagles representatives in the Pro Bowl that arguably shined the brightest.
Nick Foles, of course stole the show as the Offensive MVP of the game, adding to his collection of accolades in the 2013 season and accomplishing a feat no Eagles quarterback has been able to since Randall Cunningham in 1989, but he wasn't the only Eagle to standout in Honolulu.
DeSean Jackson set the tone in the first quarter and ignited "Team Sanders," which was drafted by Hall of Famer Deion Sanders earlier in the week during the first ever draft for an 'unconferenced' Pro Bowl.
In the first quarter Jackson opened the game's scoring, it wound up in a 22-21 win for "Team Rice", drafted by Hall of Famer Jerry Rice in the All-Star exhibition game, when he caught a flea-flicker from quarterback Andrew Luck for a 36-yard touchdown in spite of having to go up for the ball in double coverage.
Jackson finished with 40 receiving yards.
Foles finished the game 7-of-10 for 89 yards and a touchdown to go with a 130.8 passer rating at Aloha Stadium, in spite of not seeing any playing time until the fourth quarter. The highlight of the evening for the Eagles starting quarterback was a 12-yard touchdown strike to Browns tight end Jordan Cameron which gave Team Sanders a late 21-14 lead.
Foles and Jackson came out on the losing end of the exhibition game, while their Eagles teammates Evan Mathis and LeSean McCoy finished on the winning side.
McCoy finished the game with three carries for 14 yards and a fumble, along with two receptions for 18 yards.
Including the regular season, playoffs and Pro Bowl, Foles had a passer rating of 100 or higher in 11 of 13 games this year and had 30 touchdowns and two interceptions despite not starting a game until Week 6.
In all, the Eagles had five players chosen to attend the Pro Bowl, but Jason Peters elected to sit out the event.
The game is already drawing praise from media members and the players themselves for the enhanced experience provided by the fantasy draft nature of this year's event.
It will be very interesting to see what the future holds for the Pro Bowl and if it continues at all beyond this year, and whether or not this new formula is replicated in future years.
