Los Angeles (AFP) - Deshaun Watson was less than impressive in his return from an NFL suspension Sunday, but Cleveland's defensive dominance saw him win his Browns debut 27-14 over the Houston Texans.
With playoff races heating up elsewhere, there was little riding on the contest in Houston.
But the first game in almost two years for quarterback Watson -- who was suspended for 11 games after more than two dozen women accused him of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during massage sessions -- put the game in the spotlight.
Watson had already missed all of the 2021 season for the Texans before the Browns acquired him in a controversial trade.
On Sunday he was booed by Houston fans on every snap and clearly showed the effects of his time off.
"I'll just say I felt every one of those 700 days," said Watson after the Browns offense generated just six points -- on field goals from Cade York.
Donovan Peoples-Jones took a punt return 76 yards for a Cleveland touchdown, cornerback Denzel Ward had a four-yard fumble return for a touchdown, and linebacker Tony Fields returned an interception 16 yards for a TD to make up for the Browns' lack of offensive production.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia inched closer to a playoff berth with a 35-10 victory over the Tennessee Titans that took their league-best record to 11-1.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts threw for three touchdowns and ran for another, exiting the field to chants of "M-V-P!"
Philadelphia wide receiver AJ Brown torched his former team with a game-high eight catches for 119 yards and two touchdowns.
The Minnesota Vikings produced more last-minute magic, sealing a 27-22 victory over the New York Jets on Camryn Bynum's fourth-down goal line interception of Jets quarterback Mike White.
The Vikings' 10th win of the season means they'll have a chance to clinch the NFC North title with a win at Detroit next week.
Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins connected on 21 of 35 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown to Justin Jefferson with 8:33 to play that proved enough to win the game.
Packers rally past Bears
AFC North leaders Baltimore saw quarterback Lamar Jackson limp off with a knee injury in the first quarter, but with backup Tyler Huntley at the helm edged the Denver Broncos 10-9.
Huntley capped a 91-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run with 28 seconds remaining to seize the win, and in more good news after the game the Ravens announced that the injury to Jackson, the 2019 NFL Most Valuable Player, was not expected to end his season.
In Chicago, banged-up Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers extended his dominance of the Bears, rallying the Packers to a milestone 29-19 victory.
Rodgers' 25th career win over the Bears was the Packers 787th regular-season triumph -- moving them past the Bears to the top of the NFL's all-time list.
The Bears had held sway as the league's winningest team for more than 100 games.
Packers rookie wide receiver Christian Watson had a touchdown catch in the first half and a 46-yard scoring run late in the fourth to help seal the victory after the Packers erased a 19-10 third-quarter deficit.
In other early games, the Pittsburgh Steelers used a strong ground game in a 19-16 victory over the Falcons in Atlanta and the New York Giants and Washington Commanders settled for a 20-20 tie after neither could score in overtime.
