Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player Saturday, as voted by the Associated Press.

Rodgers won the award in a landslide as he received 48 of the 50 possible votes from a national media panel. New Orleans QB Drew Brees, who was honored as the league's top offensive player, got the other two votes.

In 2011, Rodgers set the NFL single-season record for passer rating (122.5) and set team marks for touchdown passes (45), passing yards (4,643), completion percentage (68.3), yards per attempt (9.25), touchdown/interception ratio (7.5) and 300-yard games (eight).

The Super Bowl champions following the 2010 season, Rodgers helped to lead the Packers to the NFC North title this season with a 15-1 record.

He's the fifth Packers player to be honored as league MVP, joining Brett Favre (1995-97), Paul Hornung (1961), Jim Taylor (1962), and Bart Starr (1966).

Indianapolis, IN (Sports Network) - Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player Saturday, as voted by the Associated Press.

Rodgers won the award in a landslide as he received 48 of the 50 possible votes from a national media panel. New Orleans QB Drew Brees, who was honored as the league's top offensive player, got the other two votes.

In 2011, Rodgers set the NFL single-season record for passer rating (122.5) and set team marks for touchdown passes (45), passing yards (4,643), completion percentage (68.3), yards per attempt (9.25), touchdown/interception ratio (7.5) and 300-yard games (eight).

The Super Bowl champions following the 2010 season, Rodgers helped to lead the Packers to the NFC North title this season with a 15-1 record.

He's the fifth Packers player to be honored as league MVP, joining Brett Favre (1995-97), Paul Hornung (1961), Jim Taylor (1962), and Bart Starr (1966).

Rangers outfielder and recovering drug addict Josh Hamilton had a relapse this week when he drank alcohol at a bar, The Dallas Morning News reported Thursday night.

Texas Rangers' Josh Hamilton Reportedly Has Alcohol Relapse: MyFoxDFW.com

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Honolulu, HI (Sports Network) - Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall caught a Pro Bowl-record four touchdown passes, as the AFC downed the NFC, 59-41, Sunday at Aloha Stadium.

Marshall had six catches for 176 yards -- the second-most in Pro Bowl history, hauled in a pair of dazzling second-half touchdown passes from Bengals rookie Andy Dalton and earned MVP honors for the effort.

Ben Roethlisberger, elevated to AFC starter due to Tom Brady's upcoming Super Bowl appearance, threw for 181 yards, two touchdowns and an interception for the victors, while Philip Rivers had a pair of TD passes and a pick.

Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees both threw two touchdowns without an interception for the NFC, while the Saints' signal caller went 0-for-1 on extra point attempts.

Panthers rookie Cam Newton, pitted against Dalton for the entire second half, threw two touchdowns but had three interceptions -- two to San Diego's Eric Weddle -- in a rough Pro Bowl debut. Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald nearly matched Marshall, reeling in six passes for 111 yards and three scores in defeat.

Sunday's game marked the third consecutive year that the Pro Bowl was played one week prior to the Super Bowl. As a result, the AFC and NFC were without eight Patriots and two Giants, respectively. Brady's absence, along with that of Eli Manning, facilitated the inclusion of Dalton and Newton.

Carolina's No. 1 overall pick was at the foreground of the national spotlight this season, throwing for 21 touchdowns and rushing for an NFL quarterback record 14 scores for the 6-10 Panthers. Dalton, meanwhile, flourished in the background, leading the upstart Bengals to a 9-7 record and a playoff berth. On Sunday, the touted rookies took to the field, with Dalton eventually coming out on top.

They entered a game tied at 28 points apiece in the third and Newton was intercepted by Weddle four plays in, leading to a 37-yard field goal from the Raiders' Sebastian Janikowski. Newton came back with a 55-yard TD bomb to leaping teammate Steve Smith and got another chance after San Francisco's David Akers converted his second successful on-sides kick of the game.

This time he was intercepted by Texans cornerback Johnathan Joseph. Dalton then moved his team the NFC 10, but his rookie teammate A.J. Green fumbled away the ball at the goal line.

An NFC three-and-out preceded Marshall's dazzling 47-yard touchdown grab. Prone in the end zone, the sixth-year wideout kicked a deflected Dalton bomb out of the air and snared it for a 38-35 AFC lead.

Ravens' fullback Vonta Leach made it 45-35, bulling in from one yard out as Newton continued to trade punts for scores. Another NFC three-and-out led to Marshall's twisting, over-the-shoulder TD grab.

Weddle then came up with his second pick, corralling a Newton pass and turning upfield before fumbling. Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson scooped up the loose ball and rumbled 58 yards for the score and a 59-35 lead.

Newton hit Fitzgerald for a 36-yard touchdown in the closing minutes. The score remained 59-41 after Brees attempted a drop-kick extra point, which floundered harmlessly beneath the crossbar.

Earlier, part of the Packers contingent staked the NFC to an 14-0 lead, as coach Mike McCarthy opted for an on-sides kick after Rodgers opened the scoring with a touchdown pass to Fitzgerald. Akers executed the kick deftly and Chicago's Charles Tillman recovered, leading to Fitzgerald's 44- yard touchdown haul on the ensuing play.

Roethlisberger answered with a long TD strike to Green, then hit Marshall for a longer TD after a fumble from Philadelphia's LeSean McCoy.

In the second, the AFC went to Rivers, who was promptly intercepted by Cardinals rookie Patrick Peterson. The NFC countered with Brees, who executed an 80-yard drive and hit teammate Jimmy Graham for a short TD and a 21-14 advantage.

Rivers and Brees then traded scoring strikes, with the Chargers signal caller hitting Marshall for 29 yards and Brees going to Packer Greg Jennings for an 11-yard connection. Rivers found teammate Antonio Gates for a game-tying 27-yard TD directly before the half.

Orlando, FL (Sports Network) - Paul Pierce led five players in double-figures, as the Celtics erased a 21-point halftime deficit to down the Magic, 91-83, on Thursday.

Pierce had 24 and Kevin Garnett added 12 points and 10 rebounds. The Celtics, who held the Magic to a franchise-low 56 points in a win on Monday, trailed by as many as 27 in the first half but made the comeback despite playing without starters Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen. They have won three straight and four of five.

"That was a character builder for our team," Celtics head coach Doc Rivers said. "All we talked about was one bucket at a time."

Dwight Howard had 16 points and 16 rebounds to pace the Magic, losers of three of their last five. Jason Richardson added 13 points and Ryan Anderson finished with 12, but was held scoreless in a second half which saw Orlando shoot 22.9 percent from the floor.

The Magic bounced back from Monday's loss to Boston, which saw them register franchise lows in field goals (16) and field goal percentage (24.6), with a 102-83 win over Indiana on Tuesday.

They carried that momentum into Thursday, shooting 50 percent in the opening half en route to a 58-37 lead at the break.

The advantage was still 21 with five minutes left in the third when the Celtics began their methodical comeback. A quick 5-0 burst, sparked by three points from former Magic swingman Mickael Pietrus, made it 68-52.

Orlando pushed the lead back to 18 with two minutes left in the quarter, but Boston unfurled a 10-1 run, capped by Pierce's trey, to make it 73-64. Howard answered with a put-back slam before the buzzer, placing Orlando's tenuous lead at 11.

E'Twaun Moore, who had 16 points off the Celtics' bench, opened the fourth with a three before Howard hit 1-of-2 free throws to make it 76-67. Boston then reeled off a 12-0 run to grab its first lead since early in the first quarter.

Pierce scored seven straight, on a trey, a pull-up mid-range jumper and a goaltend on Howard, to pull Boston within two. A Garnett 20-footer tied it and Moore hit a trey after former Celtic Glen Davis missed a pair of free throws for a 79-76 lead with 7 1/2 minutes left.

Howard stopped the run with a layup, but Boston kept coming, as Moore drove for a bucket and former Magic big man Brandon Bass hit a shot off a pick and roll, as Orlando began to unravel.

"We got frustrated with the physical play...and got totally out of our game," Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy said.

Anderson, who was held scoreless on Monday, was hit with a technical for complaining a "no call" to an official and Pierce made it 84-78 with the ensuing free throw. Then Howard received a technical for a similar violation. Though Pierce missed that free throw, Orlando's fate was virtually sealed.

Hedo Turkoglu made it 87-83 with a trey in the closing seconds, but Pierce and Bass both hit a foul shot and Moore made a pair from the stripe close the game.

Game Notes

The Celtics' 21-point halftime comeback was their largest since they came back from a 23-point halftime deficit against Indiana in 1996...The Celtics have won three straight for just the second time this season...Rondo was out with a sprained wrist, while Allen has a sprained ankle. Both players also missed Monday's blowout win...Howard notched his 14th double-double of the season.

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