76 yards, including a 14-yard score in the final two minutes. Norman finished with three tackles and a forced fumble. Its hard to say that either player got th

HOUSTON -- J.J. Watt was back on the field in Houstons 23-14 win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday, but not quite back to form after missing the entire preseason following back surgery.Im knocking a little bit of rust off, and I think as we move forward here Ill start to feel fully like myself again, he said. But theres definitely some things I wish I could have done differently today.Coach Bill OBrien wasnt surprised at how Watt looked and thought he improved as the game progressed.I think its hard when you havent practiced in a long time or played in a game in a long time, OBrien said. I thought at the end there, he was really revving. He was going pretty good.Watt said he didnt feel any lingering effects from the surgery he had in July to repair a herniated disk and he played about as much as he normally does. But the man who has won NFLs Defensive Player of the Year the last two seasons and three of the last four wasnt the game-changer he has routinely been in the past.Physically my body feels fine, he said. I just need to get back into fully being myself out there and trusting my body and letting my body take over and do what it knows how to do.While Watt, who led the NFL with 17 + sacks last season, didnt sack Jay Cutler on Sunday, he did register three hits on the quarterback. Watts teammates sacked Cutler five times, with Whitney Mercilus getting two and Jadeveon Clowney, Josh Simon and Andre Hal tallying one each.Watt enjoyed watching his teammates get after Cutler and cant wait to see what Houstons defensive front will be able to do once hes back to full strength.Its a lot of fun out there and its fun when everybody is making plays, he said. You never know where its going to come from ... it could be anybody and thats whats so fun about our defense.Watt had a difficult offseason and had surgery to repair five torn muscles in his core in January before going under the knife again to repair his back problem. Watt wasnt too hard on himself for not playing up to his lofty expectations on Sunday after the months of rehabilitation it took to reach his goal of returning for Week 1.Its been a long road and to be out there with my teammates for a win, it feels great, he said. We overcame a lot.While Watt was still shaking off the effects of his injury, Clowney looked to be completely healthy for the first time since his NFL debut in 2014. Clowney, who was the top overall pick in 2014, has failed to live up to expectations in two injury-filled seasons.But on Sunday the Texans moved him around often and he showed flashes of what convinced them to select him first in the draft. He finished with five tackles, including two for losses and had a career-high three hits on Cutler.My first game ever was shaky, first two seasons were shaky, had a couple of injuries, but Im feeling better and going out there competing and having fun, Clowney said. Were winning games. So thats great.With Watt not at full strength the 6-foot-5, 270-pound Clowney had to deal with some of the double-teams that Watt normally commands on Sunday.It was rough, Clowney said with a laugh. I know what he goes through.Clowneys performance drew rave reviews from coaches, players and even team owner Bob McNair.Hes doing what we thought he would do when he was healthy, McNair said. Hes going to be fun to watch, and J.J. will play himself back into shape. 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Spiller left Week 3s 27-20 loss to the New York Jets with a thigh injury, but fully practiced with the team all week and expects to be ready to go on Sunday. The Washington Redskins paid $75 million in April to sign cornerback Josh Norman, who said he chose Washington because they are a team on the rise. Seems like a logical explanation. But if you could get Odell Beckham Jr. of the New York Giants to theorize about Normans motivation, he might cite two other reasons: Normans disdain for Beckham himself and the attention sparked by their burgeoning rivalry. That rivalry will be rekindled when they line up against each other Sunday at MetLife Stadium, following a heated matchup last season and an offseason of back-and-forth sniping.The numbers say they are both elite. Beckhams 25 receiving touchdowns since the start of 2014 are tied for the most in football, and Norman allowed an NFL-low 54.0 passer rating in his coverage area last season per Pro Football Focus. But their on-field accomplishments are partially overshadowed by their very public feud. A look at how we got here and what to expect:The Previous MatchupWhen Beckham and the Giants faced Norman and his former team, the Carolina Panthers, last Dec. 20, the game was a 38-35 thriller won by Carolina. Although Norman didnt cover Beckham exclusively, he was part of a defensive effort that shut out the Giants All-Pro in the first half (0 catches on two targets). Beckham exploded in the second half, catching six passes for 76 yards, including a 14-yard score in the final two minutes. Norman finished with three tackles and a forced fumble. Its hard to say that either player got the best of the matchup overall -- it was a tale of two vastly different halves for Beckham, as his numbers show:The normally dependable Beckham also had a big problem with dropped passes in the December game. He dropped two targets in the first half, equaling his drop total for the rest of the season. Hard to pinpoint the reason why, but its something to watch for Sunday. A look at the disparity:They tangled repeatedly, with Beckham drawing four penalties (three of which were personal fouls). Officials chose not to eject him, but the league later levied a one-game suspension. The NFL also hit Norman with two separate fines for his role in the incidents.The Twitter FightAs the season finished up for both players, the bad blood persisted and eventually went public with a handful of tweets between them. Beckhams Twitter following: over 1.5 million users. Normans follower count, while not in that range, is still more than 150,000. The social media chapter of the dispute started during the playoffs, when Beckham posted an eyeball emoji just after Norman allowed a touchdown to Jermaine Kearse in a playoff win over Seattle:Things escalated in late March, when Beckham made what appeared to be a subtweet about Norman -- and Norman fired back less than an hour later.The pair of tweets ignited social media for a day or two, with mentions of both players skyrocketing. Beckham averaged one Twitter mention every 6 seconds in the hour right after their exchange. Heres their hourly mentions on Twitter, as provided by social media data company Spredfast:The War of WordsAs the summer began, their feud moved to the next phase: taking direct shots at each othher in interviews.dddddddddddd Beckham got things started in the August issue of GQ, when he sounded off after being asked about Norman. The sentiment, that Norman owes Beckham for his current fame, echoed what Beckham wrote in his tweet from March:Norman, never one to shy away from a verbal challenge, responded to the comment in various interviews (including the NFL Preview issue of ESPN The Magazine). A few of his choice words for Beckham:Quote sources from top: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5Tale of the TapeHow do they match up? By looking at their measurables from the NFL Combine, its clear that Beckham is a tough draw for any defensive back. His hands and wingspan are impressive for a player his size, along with his leaping ability. No wonder hes known for circus catches. But Norman counters with big-time height and wingspan, and his speed is nothing to sneeze at.Who Has the Edge?Time to turn to the experts for insight on how things will unfold in Round 2. We asked a pair of ESPN.com NFL reporters, who follow these two stars on a regular basis, about which player will have the best performance Sunday. Heres what they said.Jordan Raanan | Giants reporterThe Giants should, at times, try to keep Beckham away from Norman by putting him in the slot. He played there 21 percent of the snaps last season and its for this reason the Giants cross-train their receivers. Theyre trying to create the most favorable matchups possible, and in this case, that means Beckham vs. someone other than Norman. But when they do match up as Norman follows him around the field, expect Beckham to produce. Norman was unable to run with Beckham during last seasons matchup. If not for several uncharacteristic drops, Beckham would have easily topped 100 yards receiving and scored two touchdowns directly against Norman. And this isnt just any other game. Its one Beckham has extra motivation to shine, especially after last years matchup and last weeks key dropped pass in the fourth quarter, which left him with a bitter taste in his mouth despite the teams victory.John Keim | Redskins reporterIt sounds as if Norman will shadow Beckham, but whats often said early in the week doesnt quite play out that way on Sundays. So well see. Carolina moved Norman around in last years matchup, but he mostly played zone. Still, it prevented New York from knowing they could easily avoid Normans side. Norman is off to an excellent start through two games, and when paired vs. Beckham in zone, I think hell do well. Norman plays physical, a good strategy vs. Beckham. Really, the key for Norman will be how his help fares -- the Redskins have struggled with safety help and drop by others in coverage, leading to big gaps. Normans ability to play tight and anticipate throws has led to multiple breakups. If its man coverage, Norman will have to rely on help downfield, but hes good at taking away routes. Beckham, though, beat him for one touchdown with a double move last season -- and dropped a deep ball that would have been a TD earlier in the game. ' ' '