Dallas, Houston battle for Texas

Houston star J.J. Watt knows how important Sunday night's game against the Dallas Cowboys is to fans of both teams.

But the way the Texans' season has gone so far, Watt isn't concerned about the significance of this in-state rivalry and is simply worried about helping his guys turn things around.

"I'm sure there's definitely something there for the fans on both sides, but ... they could be lining up anybody over there," Watt said. "We need to win this game."

The Texans (1-3) got their first victory last week in overtime against the Colts after opening the season with three straight losses. The Cowboys (2-2) haven't fared much better and picked up their second win on Sunday against the Detroit Lions.

This game tends to be hyped more because these teams meet so rarely. Sunday will be the fifth time between these teams and the first since 2014. The Cowboys have won the last three, with Houston's only win coming in the franchise's first game in 2002.

While Watt really didn't want to get into the rivalry aspect of this game, quarterback Deshaun

Watson talked about what a win over Dallas would mean to the city.

"This is pretty much the battle of Texas," Watson said

Edelman returns to Patriots

The New England Patriots have activated receiver Julian Edelman to the 53-man roster, making him eligible to make his season debut Thursday night when the Patriots host the Colts.

Edelman was suspended for the first four games of the season for violating the NFL's policy on performance enhancers. He sat out last season after suffering a preseason knee injury.

Edelman is in his 10th NFL season.

To make room on the active roster the Patriots released running back Kenjon Barner. Barner was signed to this second stint with the Patriots on Sept. 26. He played in last week's win over Miami, finishing with three carries for 11 yards.

Olsen could be back sooner than expected

Carolina Panthers three-time Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen has returned to practice on a limited basis just four weeks after re-breaking his right foot in the team's Sept. 9 regular season opener.

Coach Ron Rivera says Olsen won't play Sunday against the Giants and his status will be reevaluated next week.

The 33-year-old Olsen said Thursday it is "not out of the question" that he could return for Carolina's Oct. 14 game against the Washington Redskins if he continues to progress.

Olsen originally broke his foot in 2017 and missed eight games while on injured reserve. He was not placed on injured reserve this year, so he's eligible to return to play at any time and doesn't need to sit out eight games.

Olsen says he's ahead of last year's rehabilitation schedule.

Fans not liking Browns' Peppers

Cleveland Browns defensive back Jabrill Peppers has stopped going out in public by himself after hostile confrontations with fans.

Peppers said the exchanges "happen a lot" and he knows some of the encounters are due to his lack of production. Other times, he says the conflicts are partly because he went to Michigan and plays in a city where rival Ohio State fans are abundant.

A first-round pick in 2017, Peppers has not lived up to expectations and know he needs to play better.