Johnny Manziel has spent his first NFL start being chased and taunted by Cincinnati defenders as the Bengals rudely welcomed the rookie quarterback to the league with a 30-0 demolition of the Cleveland Browns.
Manziel failed to live up to the overwhelming buildup surrounding his debut as the Bengals built a 20-point halftime lead and rolled to their fourth straight away win.
Manziel, promoted over the out-of-form Brian Hoyer, finished 10 of 18 for 80 yards and two interceptions. He was sacked three times, under pressure all afternoon and had Bengals players imitating his signature "money-rubbing" gesture more than once.
Meanwhile, New England clinched the AFC East title for the sixth straight season as Tom Brady threw two touchdown passes in a big third quarter to lead the Patriots past the Miami Dolphins 41-13.
Leading 14-13 at halftime, the Patriots scored on four consecutive series while piling up 24 points, the most in any third period in team history.
New England can now secure home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs by beating the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills.
Denver quarterback Peyton Manning played through a thigh injury and flu-like symptoms, and Connor Barth kicked five field goals to lead the Broncos over the San Diego Chargers 22-10 and to a fourth straight AFC West title.
At Indianapolis, Andrew Luck threw two touchdown passes as the Colts claimed their second straight AFC South title with a 17-10 victory over the Houston Texans.
Seattle knocked archrival San Francisco from playoff contention with a 17-7 win, and the Detroit Lions edged the Minnesota Vikings 16-14 to share the NFC North lead.
Bacarri Rambo intercepted two Aaron Rodgers passes as the Buffalo Bills downed the Green Bay Packers 31-13.
In the late game, Dez Bryant caught a career-best three touchdown catches from Tony Romo as the Dallas Cowboys rallied to beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-27 after wasting a 21-0 lead.
In other games, The Pittsburgh Steelers remained a half-game behind Cincinnati in the AFC North with a 27-20 win over the Atlanta Falcons, the Baltimore Ravens downed the Jacksonville Jaguars 20-12 and the Carolina Panthers edged the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19-17.
The Kansas City Chiefs trounced the Oakland Raiders 31-13, the New York Giants downed the Washington Redskins 24-13 and the New York Jets defeated the Tennessee Titans 16-11.
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