Ballot and comments from AP Pro 32 panel voter Dan Pompei of Chicago Tribune:
Week 14
DAN POMPEI (Chicago Tribune)
- Houston Texans - We will find out all we need to know about this team when they visit New England on Monday.
- Denver Broncos - As if having Peyton Manning doesn't give them enough of an offensive advantage, now they have Mitch Unrein, too.
- New England Patriots - They have won six straight and already clinched the AFC East. Can they stay on this tear through February?
- Atlanta Falcons - They may be the least respected 11-1 team in history. Can anybody figure out why that is?
- Baltimore Ravens - After a tough loss, it doesn't get easier from here: at the Redskins, Broncos and Giants at home, and at the Bengals.
- San Francisco 49ers - Alex Smith is advised to keep his arm loose.
- Green Bay Packers - Greg Jennings back; Jordy Nelson out. Been that kind of year in Green Bay.
- Indianapolis Colts - Andrew Luck is so good he can win even when he throws three interceptions.
- Cincinnati Bengals - They have won three in a row by an average of 21 points per game.
- Seattle Seahawks - Russell Wilson might be putting himself in the rookie of the year discussion.
- Chicago Bears - They have lost three of four and are looking worn out, but still should win 10 or 11 games.
- Washington Redskins - Perhaps they will start a new trend, and most every team will be running the triple option fumble.
- New York Giants - Someone better tell them this is not 2011 and they can't wait until the last two weeks of the season to turn it on.
- Pittsburgh Steelers - If they can beat the Ravens on the road with Charlie Batch, who can't they beat with Ben Roethlisberger?
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers - They probably would love to have someone dive at their knees during a couple of late game kneel downs.
- Dallas Cowboys - Don't forget about the Cowboys. Tony Romo has thrown 10 touchdowns and two interceptions over the last five games.
- Minnesota Vikings - They may be wasting one of the all-time great seasons by a running back.
- St. Louis Rams - If they could play the 49ers every week, the Rams would be one of the best teams in the NFL.
- New Orleans Saints - They came up awfully small in two of their biggest games of the season the last two weeks.
- Miami Dolphins - They have lost four of five and Ryan Tannehill has cooled off.
- New York Jets - Greg McElroy wouldn't have been the best quarterback in any NFL stadium except the one he was in Sunday.
- Buffalo Bills - They rediscovered the running game after the horse ran out of the barn.
- Detroit Lions - With Titus Young, Ryan Broyles and Nate Burleson out of action, any guesses on who Matt Stafford will throw to at Lambeau Field Sunday?
- Cleveland Browns - The Browns have won two in a row and could make it three straight against K.C. Maybe the Mayans were right about the world ending this month.
- San Diego Chargers - Anyone who weighs 300 pounds or more, please contact A.J. Smith for an offensive line tryout.
- Arizona Cardinals - Did you ever think they would be longing for Kevin Kolb?
- Tennessee Titans - OK, so maybe it wasn't all Chris Palmer's fault.
- Oakland Raiders - Have they begun packing up the U-hauls yet?
- Carolina Panthers - The Panthers are going to go really young the rest of the season. They should save on razors this way.
- Philadelphia Eagles - Jim Washburn probably never dreamed getting fired would feel so good.
- Jacksonville Jaguars - Their fans are more excited about seeing the Jets' backup quarterback Sunday than anyone on their own team.
- Kansas City Chiefs - Emotion can carry this team only so far. They will have to earn their next victory.
Online:
http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL
