NEW YORK - Wear those Cheeseheads proudly, Packers fans. Your team tops the first-ever AP Pro32 NFL power rankings, a new pro football version of the AP Top 25 college football and basketball polls.
Once the NFL season starts, the AP Pro32 rankings will be updated weekly.
Green Bay, coming off a 15-1 record but without a championship, received 374 points from a panel of 12 sports writers and broadcasters who regularly cover the league. The Packers got five first-place votes, as did the Giants, who beat Green Bay on their way to a Super Bowl win over the Patriots last season.
But New York finished third behind New England in the voting, 369 points to 362. The Patriots earned two first-place votes.
"The Packers were the best team in the NFL every week last year except two," said voter Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune. "They will be the best team every week often this year."
In the debut poll, the Patriots were projected to dominate the AFC, according to the voters; New England was not ranked lower than third by any of them.
"Bill Belichick loaded up on defense in the offseason to give Tom Brady some much needed help on the other side of the ball," said voter Bob Glauber of Newsday, who rated the Patriots second overall.
As for the Giants, well, they are the defending champions, right?
"Great clutch quarterback, superb pass rush, and motivated to prove they are better than last year's 9-7 regular season," was why voter Clifton Brown of Sporting News placed the Giants atop his rankings.
There were some naysayers, though. New York came in as low as sixth on two ballots.
"It's easy to forget G-Men almost didn't make playoffs last season until late push," said voter Alex Marvez of Foxsports.com. "Let's see if being defending NFL champions provide early-season motivation."
Finishing off the top five were San Francisco (336 points) and Baltimore (315), which edged Houston by one point.
Peyton Manning's presence in Denver lifted the Broncos into the top 10. His former team, however, couldn't have been any lower, ranking 32nd, getting five last-place votes.
Yes, the Colts are starting over, and none of the voters saw them making much headway this year.
"In full-blown rebuilding mode," is how voter Pat Kirwan of SiriusXM NFL Radio and CBSsports.com put it. "It may not be pretty in 2012, but it will pay dividends in 2013."
The other bottom feeders were Minnesota at 29th, Cleveland at 30th, and Jacksonville at 31st. The Jaguars received three last-place votes, with the others going to Miami (two, but ranked 27th overall), and Cleveland.
"Without Maurice Jones-Drew, this punchless club would go 0-16," voter Ira Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune said.
Of the dozen teams that made the playoffs last season, 10 were selected by the panel to be in the top 12 again. Only Atlanta at No. 13 and Cincinnati at No. 14 were bypassed, replaced by Philadelphia (eighth) and Chicago (tied for 11th with Detroit).
The Eagles impressed two voters so much that they placed them fourth overall.
"A hot team that nobody wanted to see in playoffs last year," said voter Cris Collinsworth of NBC Sports.
But Collinsworth noted that offensive tackle "Jason Peters' loss is a concern."
Many voters believed the Bears would be a force this year, with one caveat: staying healthy.
"The Bears were rolling until offensive injuries," ESPN's Chris Berman noted of Chicago's 2011 season that nose-dived when Jay Cutler and Matt Forte were among several key players lost.
The next AP Pro32 is scheduled for Sept. 4, the day before the Giants host the Dallas Cowboys (ranked 15th) to open the regular season.
Below is the first list:
W L T Pts Pvs
1. Green Bay Packers (5) 15 1 0 374 --
2. New England Patriots (2) 13 3 0 369 --
3. New York Giants (5) 9 7 0 362 --
4. San Francisco 49ers 13 3 0 336 --
5. Baltimore Ravens 12 4 0 315 --
6. Houston Texans 10 6 0 314 --
7. Pittsburgh Steelers 12 4 0 308 --
8. Philadelphia Eagles 8 8 0 290 --
9. New Orleans Saints 13 3 0 272 --
10. Denver Broncos 8 8 0 271 --
11. Chicago Bears 8 8 0 257 --
11. Detroit Lions 10 6 0 257 --
13. Atlanta Falcons 10 6 0 255 --
14. Cincinnati Bengals 9 7 0 218 --
Comments on the Cincinnati Bengals by the AP Pro32 panel:
Rich Gannon (CBS Sports/SiriusXM NFL Radio, 9): Maybe too high at 9, but I love the QB and both coordinators.
Alex Marvez (Foxsports.com, 9): Bengals shocked last season by making playoffs. Don't be surprised if deeper postseason run occurs with quarterback Andy Dalton entering second NFL season.
Clark Judge (CBSSports.com, 13): Could squeeze Baltimore and Pittsburgh at top of division.
Dan Pompei, Chicago Tribune, 13): Bengals play in tough division, but they can hang in there if Andy Dalton doesn't slump as sophomore.
Rick Gosselin (Dallas Morning News, 14): Departure of Carson Palmer signaled shift in emphasis from offense to defense; Bengals fielded top 10 defense in `11 and added one of college football's top CBs in Dre Kirkpatrick.
Pat Kirwan (SiriusXM NFL Radio/CBSSports.com,
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