PFT: Tomlin 'confident' Polamalu will play

Reuters

1. Packers (No. 1; 11-0):? Any sounds you hear coming from South Florida won?t be coming from a cork leaving a bottle of champagne.

2. Ravens (No. 6; 8-3):? Given their history of stumbling against bad teams, the next four ?easy? games could be the hardest on the schedule.

3. Steelers (No. 3; 8-3):? The Steelers nearly experienced ?choke-like symptoms? on Sunday night.

4. Patriots (No. 4; 8-3):? The Pats are playing just well enough to fail to fulfill the expectations they?ll create in December.

5.? Saints (No. 5; 8-3):? They?ll be fine until they have to play on the road in the postseason.

6.? 49ers (No. 2; 9-2):? Unless and until the 49ers lose in January, Jim Harbaugh likely won?t be rooting for his brother in the playoffs

7. Texans (No. 9; 8-3):? Wins in the playoffs could be hard to come by without a quarterback who has some playoff experience.

8. Cowboys (No. 11; 7-4):? If the Cowboys keep it up, Tony Romo will have a chance to commit another game-altering turnover in January.

9. Raiders (No. 12; 7-4):? Forget Carson Palmer and Darren McFadden; Shane Lechler and Sebastian Janikowski could be the keys to a deep postseason run for the Raiders.

10. Bears (No. 7; 7-4):? Caleb Hanie?s hiney soon will be back on the bench.

11. Falcons (No. 13; 7-4):? They need to develop a killer instinct if they want to make it back to the playoffs.

12. Lions (No. 8; 7-4):? In fairness to Suh, no one ever specifically told him that stomping was frowned upon.

13. Bengals (No. 14; 7-4):? In the first NFL season since 1997 without T.O. and Randy Moss, the Bengals have a wideout who could be better than both of them.

14. Broncos (No. 15; 6-5):? Tebowmania will be very dangerous in a single-elimination tournament.

15. Jets (No. 16; 6-5):? Beating the Bills was, ultimately, the equivalent of delaying the inevitable.

16. Titans (No. 17; 6-5):? If Chris Johnson without his burst can rush for 190 yards, he could go for 400 yards once he can explode again.

17. Giants (No. 10; 6-5):? Bill Cowher?s plans are about to change.

18. Eagles (No. 18; 4-7):? DeSean Jackson dropped that pass because he prematurely launched into his ?hide under the bed? touchdown celebration.

19. Seahawks (No. 19; 4-7):? The 12th man apparently took a day off.

20. Buccaneers (No. 20; 4-7):? The ?toughest . . . schedule . . . ever? excuse went out the window in Nashville.

21. Bills (No. 21; 5-6):? So if Stevie Johnson had scored a touchdown against the Eagles, would he have gotten on all fours and barked like a dog?

22. Cardinals (No. 26; 4-7):? This team may not be as far away from contending as it appears.

23. Chiefs (No. 22; 4-7):? This team may not be as far away from contending as it appears.

24. Chargers (No. 23; 4-7):? This team may not be as far away from contending as it appears.

25. Dolphins (No. 24; 3-8):? This team may not be as far away from contending as it appears.

26. Browns (No. 25; 4-7):? And the streak ends at four.

27. Panthers (No. 29; 3-8):? Cam Newton had flashbacks to the national title game, given that his opponents in Indy were roughly as good as the 2010 Oregon team.

28. Redskins (No. 30; 4-7):? Back-to-back home games against the Jets and Patriots could make or break Mike Shanahan for 2012.

29. Jaguars (No. 27; 3-8):? Though it?s not clear who the next coach will be, it?s safe to say the next coach will have no offers to coach other NFL teams.

30. Vikings (No. 28; 2-9):? So if the Vikings have another 3-13 season, does Bud Grant come back again?

31. Rams (No. 31; 2-9):? Is it possible for the offensive rookie of the year to become a bust?

32. Colts (No. 32; 0-11):? ?If we fire the defensive coordinator, maybe people won?t think we?re trying to get the first pick in the draft.?

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/11/29/tomlin-confident-that-polamalu-will-play/related/

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