Texans still atop AP Pro32 rankings; 49ers to 2nd

Houston (9-1) received nine first-place votes and 346 points Tuesday from 11 of the 12 media members on The Associated Press panel reporting their ballots.

The San Francisco 49ers moved up two places to second following a 32-7 rout of the Chicago Bears on Monday night. The 49ers got one first-place vote and 326 points, while the New England Patriots had the other first-place vote and are seventh.

Despite the close call against the Jaguars, all but two votes stuck with the Texans.

"At some point during the season, every good team deserves a mulligan for performing poorly against a weaker opponent," Foxsports.com's Alex Marvez said.

"A win is a win, particularly in the division," said Rich Gannon of CBS Sports/SiriusXM NFL Radio.

Added Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune: "They had a letdown game and got away with it. That's a sign of a good team."

ESPN's Chris Berman was so impressed with the Patriots' 59-24 romp over the Indianapolis Colts, he moved them to first from sixth.

"Could have done without that 59th point," said Berman, a reference to the extra point in which tight end Rob Gronkowski broke his left forearm and will be sidelined indefinitely.

Atlanta slipped to third, with Denver, Green Bay and Baltimore rounding out the top six.

After a fifth straight win, Peyton Manning has his Broncos moving higher and higher in the rankings.

"Broncos may be most complete team in the AFC, even without Willis McGahee," Clark Judge of CBSSports.com said. "Remember, Peyton Manning took the Colts to a Super Bowl with the 32nd-ranked running game."