Ballot and comments from AP Pro 32 panel voter Bob Glauber of Newsday:
Week 18
BOB GLAUBER (Newsday)
- Denver Broncos - Peyton Manning makes his pitch for a fifth MVP and Denver is in the driver's seat for the Super Bowl. About as perfect as John Elway could have imagined when he signed Peyton on the dotted line.
- Atlanta Falcons - And now we find out the only thing left to know about these Falcons: Are they finally ready to make a meaningful playoff run after an 0-3 record in the Mike Smith-Matt Ryan era?
- Seattle Seahawks - That's Pete Carroll's best coaching job at any level. Just masterful work with a young team led by a rookie quarterback.
- San Francisco 49ers - Colin Kaepernick did about as well as anyone could have asked. But the stakes get higher now. It's Super Bowl or bust. Earning the bye week could be the difference.
- New England Patriots - The Patriots sent the Texans into their late-season tailspin and take advantage by getting the No. 2 seed and the all-important playoff bye. A sixth Super Bowl appearance for Brady-Belichick?
- Green Bay Packers - Terrifically entertaining game against Minnesota, even if the Packers lost. It'll all be forgotten if Green Bay wins the rematch in the wild card round.
- Washington Redskins - We knew RG3 would be special. But Alfred Morris? The sixth-round sensation sets the single-season franchise record for rushing yards and finishes it off with a flourish in a winner-take-all against Dallas. Brilliantly done.
- Minnesota Vikings - Adrian Peterson with one of the greatest comebacks ever, and nearly breaks Eric Dickerson's record on the way to clinching a playoff berth for the Vikes. A mind-boggling season after ACL surgery.
- Indianapolis Colts - The feel-good story of the year feels even better after Chuck Pagano returns and leads his Colts to victory in his first game back. #chuckstrong
- Houston Texans - Just a stunning fall from grace with three losses in their last four. Plenty of doubts about Matt Schaub heading into the playoffs. Are the Texans one-and-done?
- Baltimore Ravens - John Harbaugh backs off some key players in the meaningless regular season finale, all in hopes of freshening up for a playoff run that starts against the Colts.
- Cincinnati Bengals - Marvin Lewis plays to win on the final weekend, hoping some momentum heading into the playoffs will make things turn out better this time around.
- Chicago Bears - Lovie Smith is still the Bears' coach if the Packers beat the Vikings. His run ends in Chicago after a 10-6 season. Now the heat's on GM Phil Emery.
- New York Giants - Giants play like champions in season-ending romp over the Iggles. Too late. No chance for first Super Bowl repeat in franchise history, thanks to four road losses since Nov. 11.
- Carolina Panthers - Plenty to like about the second half of the season. Now we'll see if it's enough for Ron Rivera to get another chance in 2013.
- New Orleans Saints - Saints finally get some good news with the contract extension of suspended coach Sean Payton. He can't get back soon enough. Plenty of work ahead, especially on defense.
- Dallas Cowboys - Tony "Turnover" Romo strikes again. His three picks against the Redskins matched his interceptions total from his previous eight games. More questions heading into a second straight off-season after losing out on the division the final game of the season.
- Pittsburgh Steelers - Stillers avoid first losing season in a decade, but that's small consolation for missing out on the playoffs. Time to re-tool the offensive line and get younger on defense.
- St. Louis Rams - Plenty of optimism after a much-improved season under first-year head coach Jeff Fisher. Another step forward in 2013, and Sam Bradford gets to the playoffs.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Legitimate questions persist about Josh Freeman, but at least there was improvement until another late-season skid.
- Miami Dolphins - Ryan Tannehill shows enough in a mostly promising rookie season to provide hope for the future.
- San Diego Chargers - The Norv Turner-A.J. Smith is done after another season of disappointment. Don't expect an immediate turnaround from the next coach-GM combo. Still plenty of holes on the roster and plenty of questions about Philip Rivers.
- Buffalo Bills - Chan Gailey is out after three seasons, and another coach search is on. Quarterback search, too.
- Tennessee Titans - Mike Munchak gets a reprieve from team owner Bud Adams, but he could be in the same spot next year unless Jake Locker takes a big step forward.
- Arizona Cardinals - The Bidwills clean house after a disastrous season. Is Andy Reid the man to right the ship? And if so, will he trust Kevin Kolb to be his quarterback?
- Cleveland Browns - Pat Shurmur didn't stand a chance with new owner Jimmy Haslam.
- Detroit Lions - Jim Schwartz goes from the playoffs one year to the coaching hot seat the next. Put him near the top of the list heading into 2013.
- Philadelphia Eagles - The curtain comes down on the Andy Reid era, and now Jeff Lurie finds a coach for the first time since 1999. Does he go high profile with Chip Kelly or Jon Gruden? Or pluck another coach out of obscurity like he did with Reid, a former quarterbacks coach?
- New York Jets - Mike Tannenbaum takes the fall for the Jets' 6-10 season. Will Rex Ryan be next? Depends on Woody Johnson's next GM.
- Oakland Raiders - Questions at quarterback and on defense. Same old same old for a Raiders team heading into the off-season after another losing record.
- Jacksonville Jaguars - Shad Khan is looking for a new GM and a new quarterback. Looks like Tim Tebow will be one of them.
- Kansas City Chiefs - Too bad there isn't another Andrew Luck or RG3 to take with the first overall pick this time around.
Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL
