Leave it to the NFL All-Stars to put on a down-to-the-wire season finale at the Pro Bowl.

San Diego kicker Nate Kaeding booted a 21-yard field goal on the final play as the AFC beat the NFC, 31-28, yesterday afternoon at Aloha Stadium.

"It was like a PAT; it was a short field goal," Kaeding said. "Just smooth and through it and try to hit it through."

The game didn't appear headed for any last-second dramatics, but the NFC scored 14 points during a 66-second span.

On fourth-and-3 from the AFC 4, St. Louis running back Steven Jackson, who appeared trapped in the backfield, wiggled free and then powered his way into the end zone to make it 28-20 with 2:54 left. Dallas quarterback Tony Romo threw incomplete to Cowboys tight end Jason Witten on the two-point conversion pass off a fake place kick.

The NFC needed another big play to stay in the game and Tampa Bay's Ronde Barber provided it by recovering an onside kick by Chicago's Robbie Gould at the 42.

The NFC tied it on a 47-yard pass from Romo to Arizona's Anquan Boldin with 1:48 remaining, and a two-point conversion pass from Romo to Carolina's Steve Smith.

The AFC started its final drive at its 34. The key play was Arizona strong safety Adrian Wilson's 39-yard pass interference penalty, which put the ball at the 2. Wilson knocked over Cincinnati's Chad Johnson near the goal line.

Two plays later, Kaeding hit the game-winner from the left hash mark.

"We compete against these guys, game plan against them every week and it's fun to be coaching them and not worrying about them," New England coach Bill Belichick said of his AFC squad.

A sellout crowd of 50,410 saw the AFC take a 19-18 series lead in the Pro Bowl, which has been held here the past 28 years.

The last four games have been decided by an average of 5.8 points.

The only mishap in yesterday's game was an injury to New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees, who dislocated his left elbow in the first quarter.

"I hate to hear that," said AFC quarterback Peyton Manning. "I hope he's OK and I feel like he will be."

There were many big plays in the game, but the most memorable was Sean Taylor's bone-crushing hit on AFC punter Brian Moorman off a fake late in the third quarter.

"It was fun," said Buffalo's Moorman. "It was planned, we called it and it was a solid hit by him. I just didn't see him coming. I made the right cut off the block, thought I could get the first down and he's fast and he makes good plays. He about took my head off."

Belichick joked: "I wish I had that one back."

Moorman was OK and proved it by blasting a 64-yard punt on his next attempt. However, it was returned 63 yards by Chicago's Devin Hester.

"I just had to come back and get all the cobwebs out," Moorman said. "I still wanted to hit a good ball. I wish it went out of bounds because obviously Devin Hester is dangerous."

Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer was named the Dan McGuire Player of the Game after completing 8 of 17 passes for 190 yards and two long touchdowns.

In the second quarter, Palmer hit Indianapolis' Reggie Wayne on a 72-yard strike. In the fourth, he hit Chad Johnson on a 42-yarder.

"I'm very happy and I told him that walking off the field," Belichick said of Palmer, who missed last year's Pro Bowl while recovering from knee surgery. "Obviously, he wasn't able to play in the game last year. For him to have the kind of game he had and get that recognition, I'm happy for him. He deserved it."

The game didn't start out promisingly as the teams combined to complete 10 of 25 passes for 126 yards in a scoreless first quarter. During one stretch, there were nine consecutive incompletions.

It changed in the second quarter as each team scored twice for a 14-14 halftime tie.

The AFC went up 28-14 after a 3-yard run by San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson early in the third and the 42-yard pass from Palmer to Johnson early in the fourth.

A pair of Baltimore Ravens defenders had stellar games for the AFC.

Free safety Ed Reed intercepted two passes near the AFC goal-line — one in the first quarter and another in the third.Ravens outside linebacker Adalius Thomas scored on a 70-yard fumble return in the second quarter after St. Louis quarterback Marc Bulger had the ball slip out of his hand while attempting a pass and he batted the ball forward on the follow through.

Thomas' fumble return was the second-longest in Pro Bowl history, trailing only Art Still's 83-yarder for the AFC in 1985.

"Once I got loose it wasn't like anyone was going to catch me because it was all linemen," Thomas said. "After that I just kept running and they called it a touchdown."

Manning, who quarterbacked Indianapolis to the Super Bowl title last Sunday, played the first two series for the AFC. He completed 5 of 12 passes for 67 yards.

"It's great. It's always fun to win this game," Manning said. "There are plenty of great players and I've had a fun week over here with these guys."

It was the final game for retiring New York Giants running back Tiki Barber, who will pursue a broadcasting job soon. He scored on a 1-yard run to put the NFC up 7-0 in the second quarter.

Reach Kyle Sakamoto at ksakamoto@honoluluadvertiser.com.