Pete's Best Bets: Home teams should have a leg up

So the first round of the playoffs went well for Best Bets, going 3-1 ATS.

A big oops to me on the pick of the Houston Texans. They weren't even in it at all. 

But I hit the Bengals plus-3, the Vikings plus-5 and the Packers minus-1, so all in all it was a good start to the postseason.

Let's keep it rolling this week in the NFL Divisional Round with four games that I can't wait to watch.

Last week the four road teams won, but two homes teams covered. This week I think will be more about the home teams.

Traveling on consecutive weeks is tough in the regular season, let alone in the playoffs to face a rested team. I took that into account when I made my four picks for the Divisional Round.

Patriots (-5) vs. Chiefs  (SportsLine's pick)  -- The Chiefs are the hottest team in the league, winning 11 straight games.

They dominated last week against the Texans. But this is a different challenge. It's tough to beat Tom Brady at home in the playoffs.

The Patriots are 4-0 straight up and 3-1 against the spread in their last four Divisional Round games. That's a hard trend to go against, even if the Chiefs are 8-3 against the spread the last 11. 

This will come down to Brady vs. Alex Smith for me. And in the end, I will go with Brady at home. Pats cover. 

Cardinals (-7) vs. Packers  (SportsLine's pick) -- These two played three weeks ago and Arizona blew out Green Bay. The Cardinals sacked Aaron Rodgers eight times and had two fumble recoveries for touchdowns.

I can't see much changing here with the lack of a big-play receiver outside. The Packers are limited offensively and the Cardinals will get after Rodgers again. Carson Palmer will win his first playoff game. 

The Packers are 0-3 against the spread in their last three divisional games. It goes to 0-4. 

Panthers (-3) vs. Seahawks  (SportsLine's pick)  -- This is a tough turnaround for Seattle after a physical game last week in Minnesota. They have to be beat up and now have to travel across the country to play a game that's an early start by their clocks.

The Panthers are rested and they beat the Seahawks earlier this year in Seattle. This one will be just as tough as that one, which took a fourth-quarter rally.  The Seahawks are 4-1 as underdogs of 2.5 points or more in their last five.

That's because they are a tough, defensive-minded team.

That will show up again. But I think this is a game for Cam Newton. It's his chance to show he has not only become a good regular-season quarterback, but he can also get it done in the playoffs.

Watch out for Devin Funchess in this one. That's just a hunch.

Steelers (+7) at Broncos  (SportsLine's pick) -- This is a tough game to pick because of the Steelers injuries with Ben Roethlisberger hurting and limited and Antonio Brown out. 

I think Roethlisberger will play, but can he drive the ball? That's the key to their offense. If not, the Broncos can play to keep everything in front.

Peyton Manning starts for Denver, and he should have chances against a bad Steelers secondary. This might be just what Manning needs to get going. 

I like Denver to win, but somehow I think the Steelers will stay in the game. Take the points.