Ballot and comments from AP Pro 32 panel voter Clifton Brown of Sporting News:
Week 17
CLIFTON BROWN (Sporting News)
1. Seattle Seahawks -- Nobody else is dominating opponents like the Seahawks are right now.
2. Denver Broncos -- Their 10-game winning streak makes them the team to beat in the AFC.
3. New England Patriots -- Tom Brady is as driven as ever to win another Super Bowl.
4. San Francisco 49ers -- Losing wide receiver Mario Manningham will hurt their offense.
5. Atlanta Falcons -- You can be skeptical about the playoffs, but season has been superb.
6. Green Bay Packers -- Last season they faded late. This season, they could be peaking.
7. Cincinnati Bengals -- Making playoffs and beating Steelers was huge step for young team.
8. Baltimore Ravens -- Their priority now is to get as healthy as they can for playoffs.
9. Houston Texans -- Their path to the Super Bowl would be helped if they can clinch No. 1 seed.
10. Washington Redskins -- If they can win a seventh straight game, they will win NFC East.
11. Minnesota Vikings -- Making the playoffs would help Adrian Peterson's MVP chances.
12. Indianapolis Colts -- Chuck Pagano is back to work, and his defense needs his help.
13. Dallas Cowboys -- Seems like it often comes down to Week 17 for Tony Romo.
14. Chicago Bears -- Lovie Smith may need a playoff berth to keep his job.
15. New York Giants -- Another team that has discovered it's difficult to repeat.
16. St. Louis Rams -- Finishing about .500 would be a terrific first season for Jeff Fisher.
17. Carolina Panthers -- Cam Newton has come on, which should help Ron Rivera keep job.
18. Miami Dolphins -- This has been a valuable developmental rookie year for Ryan Tannehill.
19. New Orleans Saints -- They'd like to finish 8-8, after falling short of expectations.
20. San Diego Chargers -- The real action for this franchise will start after Week 17.
21. Pittsburgh Steelers -- Age, injuries, and inconsistent offense could not be overcome.
22. Cleveland Browns -- Doubt if Nick Saban is coming, but Pat Shurmur could be going.
23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- This team needs to break habit of coming undone in December.
24. Detroit Lions -- Calvin Johnson is one of the few Lions who didn't underachieve.
25. Philadelphia Eagles -- One last game together for Andy Reid and Michael Vick.
26. New York Jets -- If Tim Tebow writes another book, Rex Ryan will not co-author.
27. Buffalo Bills -- Ryan Fitzpatrick didn't pan out, and Chan Gailey could be on way out.
28. Arizona Cardinals -- Talk about a team having quarterback issues. This is Exhibit A.
29. Oakland Raiders -- If Dennis Allen returns as coach, he will have plenty of work to do.
30. Jacksonville Jaguars -- This could be Tebow's next stop, but they have a long list of issues.
31. Tennessee Titans -- Even their owner has trouble watching them play an entire game.
32. Kansas City Chiefs -- Here's something to look forward to. The draft should be exciting.
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