Favre leads Vikings to victory in debut

CLEVELAND -- After rolling into the end zone with his first NFL touchdown, Vikings rookie wide receiver Percy Harvin had to absorb an unexpected hit.

Brett Favre flattened him.

"I thought we were going to bump chests or something," Harvin said. "He wasn't slowing down. I took it and we fell to the ground. It was a great feeling."

For Favre, the ageless quarterback with a boundless love for football, career touchdown pass No. 464 was as enjoyable as his first.

Favre looked pleasing in purple, throwing a 6-yard TD pass to Harvin in his debut with Minnesota, and Adrian Peterson scored three touchdowns and ran for 180 yards as the Vikings overcame a sluggish start to beat the Cleveland Browns 34-20 on the first Sunday of the NFL season.

"I had a blast," Favre said. "It wasn't a 400-yard passing game, but it doesn't have to be. As long as we win, that's what it's all about."

Making his 270th consecutive start after a will-he-or-won't-he flirtation that dominated NFL headlines this summer, the 39-year-old Favre, who holds every significant passing record, showed he can still fire it with authority -- and that he hasn't lost his joy for playing.

After hooking up with the speedy Harvin, Favre sprinted into the end zone and tackled the young wideout who was just 4 years old when his QB began his storied career.

Other highlights from the first week:

* Saints quarterback Drew Brees threw six touchdown passes as New Orleans defeated Detroit 45-27, extending the Lions' regular-season losing streak to 18 games.

* Denver's Brandon Stokley caught a tipped pass and outran Cincinnati's shocked defenders for an 87-yard touchdown with 11 seconds left for a 12-7 Broncos victory.

* New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora ran back a fumble 37 yards in his return from a knee injury in a 23-17 victory against the Washington Redskins.