It’s hard to imagine anything being more difficult in sports than Pro Bowl players filing out for the second half.

In a fairly intense opening 30 minutes, having to come back and compete the final 30 after a long halftime show doesn’t always equate to good football.

There were no points scored in the third period as the intensity level dropped precipitously. The opening play of the quarter was indicative of things to come as Team Rice’s LeSean McCoy fumbled the ball trying to switch hands and lost it to Team Sanders’ Eric Berry. The Chiefs defensive back, who also had a pick in the first quarter, gave Team Sanders a first-and-10 at Team Rice’s 24.

Carolina quarterback Cam Newton struck quickly with a 19-yard pass to Washington running back Alfred Morris to make it first-and-goal from the 5. But a fumble by Newton on the ensuing play resulted in a 7-yard loss. Three snaps later from the 4, Newton couldn’t connect with Dallas receiver Dez Bryant and Team Sanders was turned away by a stout Team Rice defense.

Team Rice countered with a nice drive of its own, thanks in part to quarterback Philip Rivers of San Diego. He took his squad from the 4 to the 49 before having to punt.

Team Sanders started at its own 11 under the guidance of Newton, preferring to run the football with Green Bay rookie Eddie Lacy, but eventually had to punt as well. Team Rice went from its own 26 to the Team Sanders 48, where Kansas City quarterback Alex Smith was sacked, leading to another punt. The quarter ended one play later with neither team capable of putting the football in the end zone.

This was on its way to being the lowest scoring Pro Bowl since the 23-10 game in 1999. Through three quarters, Team Rice had 260 yards and 16 first downs. Team Sanders had only 189 yards and nine first downs, which were startling low numbers for a typical NFL all-star game.

This wasn’t your daddy’s Pro Bowl, as the defenses ruled. There were seven turnovers through three quarters and the quarterbacks were sacked a combined seven times. It might have been a dull third period, but an exciting fourth quarter awaited those who saw the sunshine finally come out at Aloha Stadium after raining for most of the game.