Jeff Garcia and Terrell Owens haven't always seen eye-to-eye, but they can still get it done on the football field.

Garcia hit Owens — his former teammate with the San Francisco 49ers — on a 6-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter that put the NFC ahead for good in a 42-30 come-from-behind victory over the AFC in the Pro Bowl yesterday before 50,044 at Aloha Stadium.

Garcia's slant pass to the left side and Nick Folk's extra point made it 35-30, and Adrian Peterson added a 6-yard touchdown run with 2:43 left.

"Just like old times," said Garcia, now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. "It seems like we haven't missed a beat. So it was good."

Garcia and Owens, now with the Dallas Cowboys, played for San Francisco from 1999-2003, but had a falling out.

Garcia finished 8 of 10 for 117 yards, while Owens, after a rough start, had game-highs with eight catches and 101 yards.

When asked if he and Garcia still have a connection on the field, Owens said: "It doesn't matter who's at quarterback."

Peterson won the Dan McGuire Player of the Game Award after rushing 16 times for 129 yards and two touchdowns. Antonio Cromartie led the AFC's defense with two interceptions, which tied a Pro Bowl record. Both picks came off deflections.

The NFC players received $40,000 for the victory, while the AFC players earned $20,000.

"It was a great game," said AFC tight end Tony Gonzalez. "Even though we didn't win, it was all about us coming out here and having fun with the guys around the league, hanging out with the Hawai'i people and just enjoying the Hawaiian sun and having some fun."

The NFC defense opened the game with 10 players, minus a free safety, in tribute of Sean Taylor, who died after being shot Nov. 26 at his home in Florida. He was 24. The three Washington Redskins representatives wore No. 21 in honor of their late teammate.

The AFC led 27-21 at halftime, which matched the 2000 game for most combined first-half points in Pro Bowl history.

The AFC seemed to have control after taking a 24-7 lead early in the second quarter, but the NFC quickly found its groove.

"We scored 17 (in the first quarter) and we only scored three points in the second half," said AFC quarterback Peyton Manning. "That was kind of disappointing. We had the lead, we should have won the game. That was just kind of the way it worked out."

The AFC gained 228 yards in the first half, but only 98 yards in the second. The NFC had 221 in the first and 237 in the second.

The AFC scored on its first five possessions: three touchdowns and two field goal. Ten points came off turnovers.

Manning played the first quarter and completed 11 of 16 passes for 147 yards. Ben Roethlisberger, who played the second, completed his first five passes for 42 yards, but misfired on his final four.

"It's hard to miss these receivers," Manning said. "These guys are such great players. It's not hard to get on the same page with them."

T.J. Houshmandzadeh caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from Manning in the first quarter and a 1-yarder from Roethlisberger in the second, which made it 24-7 with 12:08 left before halftime.

The NFC scored touchdowns on its final two possessions of the half to get back in it.

"When you get down 24-7, it ain't easy," said NFC quarterback Tony Romo. "But we had a lot of competitive guys out there today and it showed we have a lot of heart and it was fun to play."

Romo hit Owens on a 6-yard score and Matt Hasselbeck connected with Chris Cooley on a 17-yarder with 28 seconds remaining.

"I just wanted to make a play today that I could say was for Sean (Taylor)," said Cooley, a tight end for the Redskins. "And I was happy that I was able to do something for him."

Peterson's 17-yard run gave the NFC its first lead at 28-27 with 9:49 left in the third. Rob Bironas put the AFC back ahead with a 28-yard field goal on the next possession.

The teams used some trickery on special teams throughout the game: a fake punt by the NFC on its first possession, a pooch kickoff by the AFC in the first quarter (it recovered, but was ruled offsides) and a long throw-back pass by the NFC on a kickoff.

The crowd applauded the efforts, but it also found times to boo as well.

Early in the second quarter, the fans got on Owens after he dropped two passes, but he was able to recover nicely.

"Like I said, it's not how you start, but how you finish. So that was good," Owens said.

Reach Kyle Sakamoto at ksakamoto@honoluluadvertiser.com.