The NFL's two best quarterbacks didn't play in the preseason but their teams are big home favorites on Sunday in Week 1 of the regular season.

Tom Brady's New England Patriots are a 15 1/2-point pick over Kansas City and Peyton Manning's Indianapolis Colts are a 10-point pick over Chicago.

"Best Bets" is taking both favorites (home teams in CAPS):

NEW ENGLAND 24, Kansas City 0: The Chiefs might be the worst team in the NFL. The 15 1/2 -point spot is huge and Brady figures to be rusty even if he plays on a bad foot, but Kansas City is no cinch to score a touchdown.

Losers of the last 14 Super Bowl were 3-11 against the spread (ATS) in Week 1 of the following season, but coach Bill Belichick isn't the typical Super Bowl-losing coach. He'll use the loss to the New York Giants for motivation. The Chiefs are 5-0 ATS in their last five games as double-digit underdogs. That's about the only reason to like them.

INDIANAPOLIS 28, Chicago 7: Manning won't have to be sharp in the unveiling of Lucas Oil Stadium. The big difference for the 9 1/2-point favored Colts should be their quick defense against a weak offense "led" by bungling quarterbacks Kyle Orton and Rex Grossman. Indianapolis coach Tony Dungy won't let kick returner Devin Hester steal the game.

Sunday's other games

Cincinnati 24, BALTIMORE 13: The 1 1/2-point favored Bengals are 6-1 in the last 7 meetings and 13-9 ATS in their last 22 games as road favorites. The Ravens still have a decent defense but starting rookie Joe Flacco at quarterback is a sure sign of an offense in big trouble. Cincinnati has won 6 of the last 7 meetings and is this week's "Best Bet." PHILADELPHIA 28, St. Louis 14: The Eagles will be tough as long as QB Donovan McNabb is healthy, and he's feeling better now than he has in years. Philadelphia is 46-30 ATS vs. NFC teams since 2001. St. Louis, a 7½-point underdog, is 16-31 ATS on the road since 2001 and usually plays much better on turf than on grass.

New York Jets 21, MIAMI 14: The 3-point favored Jets are 16-4 in the last 20 meetings and 8-0-1 ATS in the last 9 meetings. The Dolphins are 1-18 in their last 19 games and 2-9 ATS in the last 11 games against AFC East rivals. Club Tuna might improve slightly as the season progresses, but no one expects much at this stage of Bill Parcells' rebuilding project.

PITTSBURGH 24, Houston 13: Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger is 37-24 ATS lifetime and the 6 ½-point underdog Texans are 5-10 ATS in their last 15 games as a road underdog.

TENNESSEE 20, Jacksonville 17: "Best Bets" has a higher opinion of the 3-point underdog Titans than the oddsmakers do. Albert Haynesworth and friends figure to stuff Jacksonville's ground game and the Jaguars aren't much of a passing team. The Titans are 6-3 ATS in the last 9 meetings at home. The 3-point spot is a bonus.

Detroit 24, ATLANTA 10: A home team has to be awful to be a 3-point underdog to the Lions, who are 0-7 in their last 7 games as road favorites of 3 points or less. Detroit isn't good but it is a few big steps above Atlanta.

BUFFALO 27, Seattle 20: The 1-point favored Bills catch the Seahawks at the right time. Seattle is short on healthy receivers and QB Matt Hasselbeck missed most of the preseason with a balky back. Buffalo is 15-4 ATS in the last 19 games against the NFC West.

NEW ORLEANS 23, Tampa 17: The road team is 8-4 in the last 12 games in this series and the Saints are 11-26 ATS as home favorites since 2001. But "Best Bets" figures 3-point favorite New Orleans will be ready to play after last season's disastrous 0-4 start.

Dallas 30, CLEVELAND 20: A 2-point move in the betting line is unusual in the NFL, but it happened with the Cowboys this week. They went from a 3 ½-point favorite to a 5 1/2-point favorite as the money poured in. I don't know if the Cowboys will have staying power, but I like them right now.

SAN DIEGO 27, Carolina 24: The Panthers are getting a generous 9 points and QB Jake Delhomme usually performs well in the underdog role. WARNING: the Chargers are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 home games.

Arizona 24, SAN FRANCISCO 17: The 2 ½-point favored Cardinals are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games in September, 10-4 in their last 14 games on grass, road teams are 5-0 ATS in the last 5 meetings and QB Kurt Warner is feeling good. Arizona should be fired up after two losses to the 49ers last season helped cost them a playoff berth.

Monday night

Minnesota 27, GREEN BAY 24: Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers is one of the few QBs in the NFL feeling more pressure than Minnesota's Tarvaris Jackson. The 2-point favored Packers could lose the home crowd early if Rodgers gets off to a poor start.

Denver 20, OAKLAND 13: The 3-point favored Broncos have won 8 of the last 10 meetings and the Raiders figure to have a better chance to win the rematch Nov. 23 in Denver, when young offensive stars JaMarcus Russell and Darren McFadden should be more confident and effective.
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