Posted by ESPN.com's Mike McAllister

HONOLULU -- Neither Jeff Garcia nor Derek Anderson were supposed to be here. They made their respective Pro Bowl rosters only because Brett Favre (NFC) and Tom Brady (AFC) opted not to play.

So, naturally, with the outcome still hanging in the balance, it came down to a duel of the backups. On this Sunday, give the edge to the veteran from Tampa Bay over the rookie from Cleveland.

Garcia took the baton from No. 2 QB Matt Hasselbeck midway in the third quarter with the NFC trailing 30-28. He directed three drives (not including the final kneel-down), throwing a six-yard TD pass to Terrell Owens on the second one, then hitting Owens and Donald Driver for three key completions to set up Adrian Peterson's six-yard touchdown run.

Meanwhile, Anderson played the entire second half for the AFC and produced three points on four drives. He hit just 10 of 26 attemps, was sacked twice and threw an interception off a desperation heave in the final seconds.

"When you're behind, it can be a difficult challenge when the defense rises up a bit," Cowboys QB Tony Romo said in defense of Anderson.

Romo, Garcia and Hasselbeck each credited NFC coach Mike McCarthy of Green Bay with producing a game plan that was simple to learn while still playing to the strengths of the three quarterbacks.

"User-friendly," was how Hasselbeck described it.

Garcia was quick to also give credit to the NFC receivers, who seemed to enjoy a rhythm with the quarterbacks that the AFC was lacking in the second half.

"Often times in a game like this, it's the receivers who sometimes aren't on the same page," Garcia said. "It seems like the they did a very good job of listening to the coaches and doing what we needed them to do."

So here are our QB grades for the Pro Bowl. Feel free to argue:

Peyton Manning, Colts (A) -- Efficient and productive while leading the AFC to two touchdowns and a field goal in the first quarter.

Matt Hasselbeck, Seahawks (A) -- Led the NFC to TDs on both of his drives, hitting Chris Cooley on a 17-yarder just before halftime. His passer rating of 139.8 beat Manning's 118.5.

Jeff Garcia, Bucs (A-minus) -- Can't argue with his results, but he did throw an interception (And yes, it wasn't completely his fault).

Tony Romo, Cowboys (B) -- Threw two touchdown passes and an interception (his receiver tipped it) in his three drives.

Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers (B-minus) -- Saw limited action (just 17 snaps) but made a nice scramble for 18 yards.

Derek Anderson, Browns (D) -- The AFC (unfairly?) put the game in the rookie's hands, and he couldn't deliver. But he'll be back.