Interceptions Cost Afc Harbaugh Throws Three, Bono One As Nfc Holds On For 20-13 Victory

Jim Harbaugh had been there before. One play left, game on the line.

But Harbaugh, whose last-second incompletion in the AFC championship game was among this season’s most memorable plays, overthrew his receiver in the end zone Sunday, and the NFC held off the AFC 20-13 in the Pro Bowl.

Harbaugh, the Indianapolis quarterback, threw three interceptions. Ken Harvey of Washington picked off a pass and returned it 36 yards for a touchdown late in the second quarter that made it 17-7.

“I saw him there and I thought I could get it by him,” Harbaugh said. “He made a good play and he was gone. I saw him standing him right there and I thought I could slip it by him and I couldn’t.”

Later, Harbaugh was intercepted in the end zone by Tim McDonald of San Francisco on a third-down play with 1:50 left in the game.

“The interception was a big play,” said McDonald’s teammate on the 49ers, Eric Davis. “It shut the game down. But he’s been doing it all.”

But after getting the ball again at midfield following a punt with 47 seconds left, Harbaugh hooked up with Ben Coates of New England on a 36-yard play that put the ball on the NFC 14. Harbaugh spiked the ball to stop the clock, then failed to connect on his next three passes as the game clock expired. His last pass, intended for Tim Brown of Oakland, was way high.

Had the AFC scored, coach Ted Marchibroda of the Colts said he would have settled for a tie and not gone for a two-point conversion.

Harbaugh’s other interception, by Darren Woodson of Dallas, set up a 24-yard field goal by Morten Andersen of Atlanta with 2 seconds left in the half.

In the AFC title game at Pittsburgh, Harbaugh’s “Hail Mary” pass into the end zone almost was caught on the last play of the game, a 20-16 victory by the Steelers.

Jerry Rice of San Francisco caught six passes for 82 yards, including one touchdown, and was voted the Pro Bowl’s most valuable player.

The NFC held what appeared to be a comfortable 20-7 lead at the half, but the AFC went on a time-consuming 8:01, 87-yard drive that was capped by a pass from Harbaugh to Curtis Martin of New England from 17 yards to make it 20-13 after three quarters.

The NFC’s only threat in the second half was Andersen’s 53-yard field goal attempt, which hit the upright. That kick preceded the first AFC drive that ended with McDonald’s interception.

Brett Favre of Green Bay and Steve Young of San Francisco shared the quarterback job for the NFC.

“We’ve got a pretty potent offense,” Favre said. “It’s pretty easy to get in sync with these guys.”

Young added, “It was easier for me. I could just relax. I didn’t have to study.”

Favre connected with Rice for a 1-yard touchdown pass. The NFC’s other points came on a 36-yard field goal by Andersen in the first quarter.

The AFC got off to a record-breaking start on a 93-yard touchdown pass from Cincinnati’s Jeff Blake to Yancey Thigpen of Pittsburgh. The Blake-Thigpen hookup, which bettered the game record of 64 yards set by the Houston combination of Dan Pastorini and Ken Houston in 1976, came on the AFC’s first possession.

“I was looking at the tight end (Coates) and saw Merton Hanks come up to the middle of the field to cover Yancey,” Blake said. “He came up too far and I saw Yancy go right past him so I laid it up.”Thigpen later left the game with an injury.At halftime, New York City police Sgt.

At halftime, New York City police Sgt. Michael Volino lost his chance to win $1 million when he missed a 35-yard field goal. The kick, taken off a tee, was on line but it had little height and landed around the 2-yard line.

“I was hoping for a miracle,” he said. “The crowd roar took my mind off the kick.”

NFC 20, AFC 13

AFC 7 0 6 0 - 13 NFC 3 17 0 0 - 20

First quarter

AFCThigpen 93 pass from Blake (Elam kick), 2:12.

NFCFG Andersen 36, 8:58. Second quarter

NFCRice 1 pass from Favre (Andersen kick), 1:41.

NFCHarvey 36 interception return (Andersen kick), 11:20.

NFCFG Andersen 24, 15:00. Third quarter

AFCMartin 17 pass from Harbaugh (kick failed), 14:50.

A-50,000.

AFC NFC First downs 21 12 Rushes-yards 25-127 22-49 Passing 263 238 Punt Returns 1-3 1-17 Kickoff Returns 3-52 3-62 Interceptions Ret. 0-0 4-79 Comp-Att-Int 19-40-4 19-37-0 Sacked-Yards Lost 4-25 1-7 Punts 4-56 6-47 Fumbles-Lost 0-2 0-0 Penalties-Yards 5-25 9-80 Time of Possession 32:46 27:14

Individual statistics

RUSHINGAFC, Warren (Sea) 7-43, Anders (KC) 8-42, Milburn (Den) 3-15, Martin (NE) 4-14, Harbaugh (Ind) 3-13. NFC, Watters (Phi) 7-26, B.Sanders (Det) 7-17, E.Smith (Dal) 5-10, Moon (Min) 2-(minus 2), Mitchell (Was) 1-(minus 2).

PASSINGAFC, Blake (Cin) 6-13-0-138, Harbaugh (Ind) 12-25-3-144, Bono (KC) 1-2-1-6. NFC, Favre (GB) 7-14-0-111, Young (SF) 8-17-0-103, Moon (Min) 4-6-0-31.

RECEIVINGAFC, Coates (NE) 5-66, Brown (Oak) 3-27, Anders (KC) 3-8, Miller (Den) 2-41, Pickens (Cin) 2-31, Martin (NE) 2-20, Thigpen (Pit) 1-93, Warren (Sea) 1-2. NFC, Rice (SF) 6-82, Irvin (Dal) 3-60, Heyward (Atl) 2-37, Moore (Det) 2-24, Carter (Min) 2-19, Chmura (GB) 1-15, Watters (Phi) 1-6, Mitchell (Was) 1-4, B.Sanders (Det) 1-(minus 2).

MISSED FIELD GOALSNFC, Andersen (Atl) 53.