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"If you haven't followed the Cleveland Browns, they have some players on that franchise."
That was a quote from NBC's Cris Collinsworth during the network's broadcast of the 2014 Pro Bowl, and the statement made sense because the Browns were part of some of the biggest plays of the night. The first "wow" moment of the night came on an end-around handoff from Drew Brees to Josh Gordon near the beginning of the second quarter. As Gordon was in the open field, impending free agent T.J. Ward approached.
Yikes! Not exactly what you want to see from our coveted receiver, but thankfully, no harm was done as he got up right away. With 0:43 left in the second quarter, Gordon caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from QB Philip Rivers, finishing the night with 6 catches for 66 yards and 1 touchdown.
Gordon's catch tied the game at 14-14 heading into the half. There was no scoring in the third quarter, which seems unusual for a Pro Bowl game. The next score of the game came for Jordan Cameron, who was playing on the opposite team of Gordon, at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Cameron's 12-yard hookup from Nick Foles gave their team a 21-14 advantage. Cameron finished the game with 3 catches for 27 yards and 1 touchdown.
Gordon's team scored a touchdown with under two minutes to play, as Alex Smith found DeMarco Murray on a 20-yard dumpoff pass that had Gordon in the vicinity of a block as Murray plunged into the end zone. To avoid a tie, their team went for two and converted on a handoff to Mike Tolbert to make it 22-21. Cameron's team tried a 67-yard field goal from Justin Tucker as time expired, but it came up a couple of yards short.
The Browns' other Pro Bowl representatives included Joe Haden (1 tackle, 1 interception, 1 pass defended), T.J. Ward (3 tackles, 1 pass defended), Joe Thomas, and Alex Mack. Gordon, Haden, and Thomas were all on the winning team.
What did you guys think of the Pro Bowl -- was it a step up from the past? For me, the game was a lot better than it has been. My only complaint was that I really didn't know who was on what team except for Cleveland's players, but if this style of game (the draft and rule adjustments) allows for more competitive Pro Bowls like these in the future, I am all for it. Vote in the poll below and let us know what you think.