Giants Daily Blitz Blog

Giants help NFC claim Pro Bowl victory

When Eli Manning wasn’t throwing touchdowns to Victor Cruz during Sunday’s Pro Bowl, Jason Pierre-Paul was intercepting passes intended for J.J. Watt. Yes, you read that correctly.

Just another day in Hawaii.

On the last offensive play for the AFC all-stars, Houston’s defensive end — who played some tight end in college — lined up outside, and naturally, the Giants’ own pass rusher was there to cover him. Pierre-Paul won the jump ball thrown by Colts quarterback Andrew Luck in the right side of the end zone and came down with the interception, capping off a 62-35 NFC victory.

“That interception by JPP in the end zone was pretty impressive,” Cruz told NBC after the game. “I know I’m biased, but that was pretty impressive. All these guys played great. It was great all week long hanging out with these guys, and it was an honor to play in this game.”

Along with Pierre-Paul, Cruz, Manning and Chris Snee represented the Giants in Honolulu’s Aloha Stadium this year.

After Pierre-Paul sacked Denver’s Peyton Manning to begin the second quarter, Eli Manning took over on the ensuing possession for New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees and completed 16 of 23 passes for 191 yards, an interception and two touchdowns, including a nine-yard strike to Cruz to give their side a 17-14 lead. It was all NFC after that.

Cruz finished with 96 yards and a Pro-Bowl record 10 catches, but it was Minnesota tight end Kyle Rudolph who took home MVP honors after hauling in five receptions for 122 yards and a touchdown.

“The energy level was high,” Cruz said. “The effort level was there. Guys were really putting some hits on people, not to hurt them but just playing solid football. And I think it was indicative of us wanting to keep this game alive and keep this game in Hawaii for years to come and I think we really proved that out here today.”