Ballot and comments from AP Pro 32 panel voter Clifton Brown of Sporting News:
Week 18
CLIFTON BROWN (Sporting News)
- New England Patriots - If they have to win in Denver to reach Super Bowl, Patriots can.
- Denver Broncos - They are the No. 1 seed, and no AFC team has more momentum.
- Seattle Seahawks - The best wild card team, but reaching Super Bowl will still be difficult.
- San Francisco 49ers - Came very close last season, and this could be their year.
- Green Bay Packers - Playing at Lambeau will help them in a rematch against Vikings.
- Atlanta Falcons - In one week, it will be put-up or shut up time for Falcons in playoffs.
- Cincinnati Bengals - Better equipped than last year to win playoff game in Houston.
- Washington Redskins - Gimpy knee and all, RG3 is the key to how far Redskins go.
- Minnesota Vikings - The remarkable Adrian Peterson gets another crack at the Packers.
- Houston Texans - They are stumbling into the playoffs, and which is rarely a good sign.
- New York Giants - Better than some playoff teams, but paid for inconsistency.
- Baltimore Ravens - We'll see if the Ravens can send off Ray Lewis with a ring.
- Indianapolis Colts - Inspiring season continues into playoffs, with Chuck Pagano back.
- Chicago Bears - Ten wins did not save their season, or Lovie Smith's job.
- St. Louis Rams - Jeff Fisher made a huge difference. Could be a playoff team in 2013.
- New Orleans Saints - With Sean Payton back, Saints could easily return to playoff form.
- Carolina Panthers - They need the right GM to put the right pieces around Cam Newton.
- Pittsburgh Steelers - Need to get younger, and offensive line needs to get better.
- Dallas Cowboys - Tony Romo remains a heartbreaker for Cowboys' fans in big moments.
- Miami Dolphins - Joe Philbin has built a solid foundation, starting with Ryan Tannehill.
- San Diego Chargers - The next coach needs to get the best out of Philip Rivers.
- Cleveland Browns - The right GM-coach combination could flourish. Young talent is there.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Greg Schiano will likely cut ties with more players that don't buy in.
- Buffalo Bills - They need a new coach and a new quarterback - rarely a good thing.
- Detroit Lions - The bottom fell out this season. Jim Schwartz's seat will be hot.
- Tennessee Titans - They need to give coach Mike Munchak more talent to work with.
- Oakland Raiders - Going to be a slow process, but keeping Dennis Allen was right move.
- Arizona Cardinals - Solving the quarterback issues will be priority No. 1 for the new coach.
- Philadelphia Eagles - Few expected Andy Reid's last season to be so bad.
- New York Jets - Rex Ryan and Mark Sanchez have plenty to prove.
- Jacksonville Jaguars - The new general manager will have plenty of work to do.
- Kansas City Chiefs - Another team that needs a quarterback before it can contend.
Online:
http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL
