AP Sports SummaryBrief at 2:49 p.m. EST

Deshaun Watson returns from ban with some support, many boos

HOUSTON (AP) — Deshaun Watson signed autographs for Texans and Browns fans and posed for selfies before his first game in 700 days in a familiar place. Once the game started, it was overwhelming boos for Watson. Watson heard jeers before taking each snap on his first series in his first game Sunday since returning from an 11-game suspension for sexual misconduct. Watson’s debut with Cleveland comes against Houston, where he was a three-time Pro Bowl pick in four seasons.  After an interception gave the Browns the ball at their 43, Watson threw a pair of incomplete passes. He spun away from a sack on third down and fans cheered when his throw to David Bell hit the ground.

Playoff field set: Georgia vs. Ohio State; Michigan vs. TCU

Georgia, Michigan, TCU and Ohio State have made the College Football Playoff, giving the Big Ten multiple programs in the four-team field for the first time. The defending national champion and top-ranked Bulldogs and fourth-seeded Buckeyes will meet Dec. 31 at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta. The second-seeded Wolverines and third-ranked Horned Frogs will play at the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, the same day. The national championship game is scheduled for Jan. 9 at Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Georgia and Michigan have both opened as the favorites to win their semifinals and reach the title game.

Georgia returns to home away from home to face Ohio State

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia will be heading back to its home away from home for the College Football Playoff. The No. 1 Bulldogs received the top seed from the selection committee, earning a spot to in the Peach Bowl on New Year’s Eve. The reigning national champions will be in a familiar spot for their semifinal game against No. 4 Ohio State. Georgia will be making its third appearance of the season at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The Bulldogs opened with a 49-3 demolition of Oregon. On Saturday, they claimed their first Southeastern Conference title since 2017 with a 50-30 rout of LSU.

No. 3 TCU earns spot in Fiesta Bowl against No. 2 Michigan

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — TCU has reached the College Football Playoff for the first time. The rapid rise under first-year coach Sonny Dykes means the Horned Frogs will play Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve. There will be a spot in the CFP title game on the line. Michigan left no doubt about its spot in the CFP, beating Purdue 43-22 to win consecutive Big Ten titles for the first time since 2003-04. College football’s winningest program now has its first 13-win season, finishing No. 2 in the AP Top 25 and CFP standings. Up next is a TCU team that is 12-1.

Lamar Jackson leaves game with knee injury after sack

BALTIMORE (AP) — Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has left a game against Denver with a knee injury after being sacked on the final play of the first quarter. The team has ruled him out for the remainder of the day. Moments after exiting the game, the Baltimore star emerged from the sideline tent and went down the tunnel. He appeared to be walking OK but not all that fast. Baltimore’s season fell apart last year when Jackson went down with an ankle injury in December. He hasn’t missed a game this season.

Brady: Season goals still within reach for struggling Bucs

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tom Brady only knows one way the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can pull out of a season-long funk on offense and realize their potential. Brady enters Week 13 ranked fourth in the NFL in passing with 3,051 yards. Still, the 45-year-old quarterback and a group of talented offensive playmakers around him have not performed with anywhere near the consistency of the past two seasons when the Bucs were one of the NFL’s highest-scoring teams. Tampa Bay takes a 5-6 record into Monday night’s home game against the New Orleans Saints, a NFC South rival that’s given Brady fits since he moved from New England to Tampa Bay in 2020. Brady says “hope is not a strategy” ans the only way the Bucs can realize their potential is play better and earn it.

American soccer success in men’s World Cup remains a dream

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — American men’s soccer success on the world stage remains a dream. The U.S. men’s team looked better in this year’s World Cup, but the results were the same as in 2010 and 2014 _ elimination in the round of 16 following a 3-1 defeat to the Netherlands. Draws against Wales and England were followed by a 1-0 win over Iran that assured a spot in the knockout rounds, and the U.S. achieved the minimum to avoid being branded a failure. Going home after the group stage would have been a disappointment given the expectations for the team coach Gregg Berhalter rebuilt.

Kylian Mbappé leads France past Poland 3-1 at World Cup

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Kylian Mbappé scored two goals and set up another for Olivier Giroud to give France a 3-1 victory over Poland and a spot in the World Cup quarterfinals. The Paris Saint-German forward now has a tournament-leading five goals and the 2018 champions are within three wins of successfully defending their title. No country has repeated as World Cup champions since Brazil achieved the feat by claiming consecutive trophies in 1958 and 1962. Italy is the only other nation to have won two straight in 1934 and 1938. France’s quarterfinal opponent will be either England or Senegal.

In Georgia, how sports explain a political battleground

SMYRNA, Ga. (AP) — Georgia’s U.S. Senate race between Republican Herschel Walker and Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock highlights how sports and college loyalties explain a political battleground. It goes beyond just the fact that Walker is a University of Georgia and NFL football icon. Sports and politics have long intersected in America. For Republicans, it means embracing the Georgia Bulldogs, the Atlanta Braves and their fan bases that trend older, whiter and less urban than the general population. Democrats have a more demographically diverse, urban base and are less likely to use sports to connect with voters.

McIlroy says Norman rift began with his ‘brainwash’ comment

Rory McIlroy is detailing how his relationship soured with Greg Norman in a lengthy interview with the Sunday Independent in Ireland. He says he thought they had patched up their differences in April. McIlroy says that changed when Norman accused him of being “brainwashed” by golf’s ruling class. McIlroy says at that point he wanted to make it his business to be a royal pain to Norman. McIlroy has been taking digs at Norman and his LIV Golf venture ever since. McIlroy also says his close friendship with Sergio Garcia ended over a testy text exchange at the U.S. Open.