The NFL has been abuzz for the last week with talk of Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers. Favre returns today to the town where he became the NFL's all-time leading passer – but he'll return as the opponent.

Favre prefers to talk of himself, though, as a member of the Minnesota Vikings, not as a past member of the Packers.

"It'll make for a good story this week – 'Favre going back' – but it's about our team," said Favre, who helped the Vikings defeat his former team four weeks ago in Minneapolis. "The way they are playing and the way we are playing – both teams are vying for the No. 1 spot [in the NFC North]. That's the only thing that's important, to be quite honest with you."

Don't believe him.

Len Dawson was a first-round draft choice in 1957 who didn't see an NFL field for five seasons with Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Upon his release in 1961, Dawson signed with the AFL's Dallas Texans, where coach Hank Stram promised him a chance to start.

Dawson steered the Texans to an AFL title that season. He quarterbacked the Texans-turned-Kansas City Chiefs to two Super Bowls, winning one. He waited nine years for a shot at his former employers.

Following the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, Dawson's Chiefs drew Pittsburgh that year and Cleveland in 1971. He passed for 257 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-14 victory over the Steelers, then passed for 203 yards and two TDs in a 13-7 triumph over the Browns.

"Of course those games were special," Dawson said. NFL teams "didn't let me play for five years. I wanted the chance to prove I could play professional football."

Dawson wasn't the first Hall of Fame quarterback to face his former team. Nor will he be the last.

Joe Montana waited two years for a shot at his old team. So did Warren Moon and Norm Van Brocklin. Sonny Jurgensen, Bobby Layne and Fran Tarkenton waited just one.

Here's a look at how Brett Favre and other high-profile quarterbacks fared in their first games against their former teams. Most seem to have brought a little extra to the table:

I'm having a tough time figuring out which team is the worst in the NFL this season. With six teams at one win or less, there are so many to choose from. But the oddsmakers aren't having a problem: it's Oakland.

The Raiders are a 16 ½-point underdog against San Diego – the largest point spread of the season. The only other team to be a 16-point underdog this season was ... well, the Raiders. That was against the New York Giants in Week 5, and the Giants prevailed, 44-7.

Raheem Morris is in his first season as coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but he's already on his third quarterback before the season's midway point. The Bucs opened the season with Byron Leftwich, but after an 0-3 start, Morris switched to Josh Johnson. After four more losses, he's switching to first-round draft pick Josh Freeman.

Morris announced the move during Tampa Bay's off week to give Freeman two weeks to prepare for his starting debut, Nov. 8 at home against the Green Bay Packers. Freeman will become the third rookie quarterback to start this season, following opening-day starters Matthew Stafford (Detroit) and Mark Sanchez (New York Jets).

Arrowhead Stadium has given the Kansas City Chiefs a terrific home-field advantage over the years. From 1990 to 2008, the Chiefs posted a 105-47 record at home – fourth-best in the NFL. But the Arrowhead magic has vanished of late.

The Chiefs own a 10- game home losing streak, the longest such drought in the league. An 0-4 start at Arrowhead has dug the Chiefs a 1-7 hole this season. Kansas City doesn't play at home again until Nov. 22, when the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers visit. That 10-game skid will soon grow to 11.

■ The New York Giants finished with the best record in the NFC and the top seed in the playoffs last season. Philadelphia promptly upset them at home in their first playoff game. The Eagles have won the last two times they have played the Giants in New York but lost the last two times they played them in Philadelphia. The teams meet in Philadelphia today with first place on the line. These teams have reached the NFC title game a combined seven times this decade. "We harp on the importance of this game – and not because it's a Giants-Eagles rivalry," Philadelphia QB Donovan McNabb said. "I think it's more for respect in the division and to move up into first place."

■ Brett Favre, Adrian Peterson and the Minnesota Vikings faced a great defense last weekend in Pittsburgh. They face an even better one, on paper anyway, in Green Bay today. The Steelers rank eighth in the NFL in defense, the Packers third. Give the credit to new Packers coordinator Dom Capers . "He's done this before," coach Mike McCarthy said. "He's come into programs and installed this defense. ... I'm very excited about the path we've taken."

■ Despite the presence of a 1,200-yard rusher (Steve Slaton ), the Houston Texans are struggling to run the ball. They rank 30th in the NFL with averages of 65 yards per game and 3.0 yards per carry. That shouldn't come as a surprise. Both starting guards have been lost for the season with injuries. Chester Pitts departed with a knee injury in the second game and Mike Brisiel with a foot injury in the fifth game. Backup center Chris White has stepped in at one guard spot and second-year man Kasey Studdard at the other. Rookie center Andre Caldwell also rotates in. "They're young and we know that," Texans coach Gary Kubiak said. "We're getting great effort out of all three of them."

■ Buffalo WR Terrell Owens leads the NFL with seven dropped passes.

■ The winless Tennessee Titans are favored today against 3-3 Jacksonville. But then, the Titans were favored by three the last time the teams played in Jacksonville in October – and the Jaguars thundered to a 37-17 victory. Jacksonville is a running team, but the Jaguars crossed the Titans up that day when QB David Garrard threw for 323 yards and three touchdowns.

After last week, I'm off the Oakland Raiders for the foreseeable future. I should be off all underdogs. Of the 13 games last weekend, only one underdog won outright – Arizona against the Giants. Nonetheless, let's go with Miami over the Jets this weekend. New York is a 3 ½-point favorite. Two games ago, the Dolphins beat the Jets, 31-27. Last week, the Dolphins should have beaten New Orleans but blew a 24-3 lead en route to a 46-34 defeat. Now the Dolphins get the Jets again in a quick turnaround. I think Miami is still the better team.