It seemed the defensive players were trying at times, more so in the 1st half. As the OP mentioned, there was actually a goalline stand by the AFC defense. Then, in the 2nd half, and especially the 4th quarter, they'd just touch a guy and he'd stop. Near the end it got really ridiculous as the refs blew the whistle a few times when the ball carrier wasn't even touched. What was up with that?
Still, with the way offenses have been, I expected a high scoring game but the NFC had to score late to avoid being shutout.
I think the players might actually try harder if they played flag football.