(Dec. 6, 2005) -- Heated playoff races and blustery temperatures set the table for an exciting home stretch of the 2005 NFL season. As games are won and legends are born, fans, coaches and players will soon conclude NFL All-Star voting for the 2006 Pro Bowl. Several of this season's top AFC performers aim to play under the Hawaiian sun for the first time in their careers.
Fan voting for the Pro Bowl -- which will be held on Sunday, Feb. 12 (ESPN, 6 p.m. ET) -- on NFL.com and via Sprint Wireless, will conclude Dec. 13. NFL players and coaches will cast their votes on Dec. 19-20, and the team will be announced on Wednesday, Dec. 21 at 4 p.m. ET on the 2006 Pro Bowl Selection Show on ESPN.
Following are AFC players ranking in the top five in conference statistics who have never been selected to a Pro Bowl:
| CATEGORY | PLAYER | TEAM | STATISTIC | AFC RANKING |
| Passer Rating | Carson Palmer | Cincinnati | 106.6 | 2 |
| Ben Roethlisberger | Pittsburgh | 101.5 | 3 | |
| Jake Plummer | Denver | 91.2 | 5 | |
| Receptions | Reggie Wayne | Indianapolis | 67 | 2 |
| Deion Branch | New England | 65 | 4 | |
| Rushing Yards | Larry Johnson | Kansas City | 1,108 | 3 |
| Reuben Droughns | Cleveland | 1,029 | T5 | |
| Willis McGahee | Buffalo | 1,029 | T5 | |
| Scrimmage Yards | Larry Johnson | Kansas City | 1,337 | T3 |
| LaMont Jordan | Oakland | 1,337 | T3 | |
| Reuben Droughns | Cleveland | 1,329 | 5 | |
| Interceptions | Greg Wesley | Kansas City | 6 | 3 |
| Cato June | Indianapolis | 5 | T4 | |
| Odell Thurman (R) | Cincinnati | 5 | T4 | |
| Sacks | Derrick Burgess | Oakland | 11.0 | T1 |
| Robert Mathis | Indianapolis | 10.5 | T2 | |
| Kyle Vanden Bosch | Tennessee | 10.5 | T2 | |
| Aaron Schobel | Buffalo | 9.0 | 5 | |
| Scoring | Lawrence Tynes | Kansas City | 101 | 2 |
| Shayne Graham | Cincinnati | 97 | 3 | |
| Nate Kaeding | San Diego | 93 | 4 | |
| Punt Returns | B.J. Sams | Baltimore | 11.2 | 1 |
| Pacman Jones (R) | Tennessee | 10.3 | 2 | |
| Wes Welker | Miami | 9.5 | 3 | |
| Dennis Northcutt | Cleveland | 8.7 | 4 | |
| Jerricho Cotchery | New York | 8.7 | 5 | |
| Kick Returns | Jerome Mathis (R) | Houston | 30.8 | 2 |
| Quincy Morgan | Pittsburgh | 28.2 | 3 | |
| Pacman Jones (R) | Tennessee | 26.8 | 4 | |
| Derrick Wimbush (R) | Jacksonville | 26.3 |
