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."

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

Favre was 14 of 21 for 110 yards.

"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 , 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 quarterback began his storied career.

"You don't find too many players like that who still love the game," said Harvin, a first-round pick from Florida. "That's what makes him special and separates him from a lot of people."

Saints 45, Lions 27: Drew Brees looked even better than last year, which was bad news for a Lions team trying to win for the first time since 2007.

Brees tied a Saints record with six touchdown passes and threw for 358 yards as the Saints beat the Lions 45-27 Sunday to extend Detroit's regular-season losing streak to 18 games.

Brees tied a mark set by Billy Kilmer in 1969 in a Saints victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Two of Brees' touchdown passes went to Jeremy Shockey, who hadn't scored since being traded from the New York Giants to New Orleans last season.

Mike Bell led New Orleans' running game with a career-high 143 yards, carrying the ball with power, speed and elusiveness.

Matthew Stafford's first start had its ups and downs.

The 2009 top overall draft choice was 16 of 37 for 205 yards with three interceptions, two by Darren Sharper. He led two touchdown drives, capping one with his first NFL score on a short keeper. Lions safety Louis Delmas also returned a fumble for a 65-yard touchdown, which made it 38-27 late in the third.

"It was tough. Playing from behind is never easy," Stafford said. "Some of those balls I was throwing, I was just trying to get rid of it and not take a sack. ... I'm fine. I've thrown three picks in a game before. Obviously, I don't like to lose. I wish I could play better, but I've got to learn from it."