Other than Brees, the top QBs in the league are in the AFC, starting with Manning and New England's Tom Brady and Cincinnati's Carson Palmer. Plus youngsters Philip Rivers of San Diego and Ben Roethlisberger of Pittsburgh. One AFC youngster who won't be there to start the season: JaMarcus Russell of Oakland, the first overall pick in the draft, who has been a summer-long holdout, ruining any plans new, 32-year-old coach Lane Kiffin had for starting him.

The NFC's QBs are more iffy. The best besides Brees, Philadelphia's Donovan McNabb, showed signs in an exhibition game last week of problems with a knee on which he underwent surgery eight months ago.

Of course, there's 37-year-old Brett Favre in Green Bay, who may be in his final season and, coming off a bounce-back year, is six touchdown passes short of Dan Marino's career mark. Beyond him are a lot of unknown quantities.

That includes the Giants' Eli Manning, Peyton's brother, who has looked good in preseason and gained leadership points by taking on his retired teammate, Tiki Barber after Barber suggested on NBC that Manning wasn't much of a leader. It also includes two other improving youngsters who, like Eli Manning, were high draft picks: San Francisco's Alex Smith and Arizona's Matt Leinart. Plus Tony Romo, who became Dallas' starter in the sixth game last year, started fast, but finished slowly.

There's no surprise who's the favorite: New England, winner of three of four Super Bowls between the 2001-2004 seasons.

Despite no wide receivers of much merit and a banged-up secondary, the Brady-led Patriots got to the AFC championship game last season by upsetting San Diego, and led the Colts 21-3 in Indianapolis before finally losing 38-34 for the AFC crown. In the offseason, the Pats added linebacker Adalius Thomas, coach Bill Belichick's kind of versatile player, plus the wideouts they desperately needed: Donte' Stallworth, Wes Welker and the former megastar, Randy Moss.

The Colts still have Manning, wide receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne, and defensive end Dwight Freeney, who signed a new deal this year that makes him the game's highest-paid defensive player.

There's depth beyond those three AFC powers, including some teams that might be division favorites in the NFC.

Pittsburgh, the champion in 2005, has a new coach in Mike Tomlin, only its third since 1969, and hopes Roethlisberger will bounce back from a subpar season plagued by injury and illness.

Baltimore is still one of the NFL's top defensive teams and has more speed at running back in Willis McGahee. Denver is hoping Jay Cutler, in his first full season as quarterback, will fill a hole that's existed since John Elway retired nearly a decade ago. Cincinnati, which was troubled last season with nine players arrested, hopes it's past such woes. The Bengals have an explosive offense with Palmer and Chad Johnson. The Jets should be a playoff contender in Eric Mangini's second season as coach.