The Associated Press

ST. LOUIS - St. Louis Rams quarterback Marc Bulger won't practice until at least Friday because of swelling in his sprained right index finger, partially deflating controversy over Kurt Warner reclaiming his starting job.

Coach Mike Martz also said Tuesday running back Marshall Faulk, who missed last Monday's victory over Chicago because of ankle and foot injuries, would be questionable for Sunday's game at Washington. The sprained ankle is by far the more troublesome of the injuries.

"It's just one that has limited him a bit," Martz said.

Martz reiterated that Warner, who missed five games plus the bye week due to a broken right pinkie finger, would be back as No.1 Sunday at Washington.

Bulger was injured when he was stripped of the ball on a fumble in the first quarter. Warner played one series while Bulger was off for X-rays and two pain-killing injections, but Bulger was able to finish the game and was 21-for-35 for 347 yards.

Martz said team doctors feel the swelling will go down in Bulger's finger by Friday, but Warner will get all the snaps with the No.1 offense this week.

Bulger has thrown for 1,496 yards in five starts, an NFL record for the first five starts of a career, with 12 touchdown passes and four interceptions.

COWBOYS: Safety Darren Woodson and offensive lineman Larry Allen each will have season-ending surgery.

Allen, a seven-time Pro Bowl player, has missed four straight games and has played sparingly since injuring his left ankle against Tennessee in the second game of the season. Woodson, a five-time Pro Bowl player in the 1990s, severely strained his abdomen last weekend at Indianapolis.

PANTHERS: Julius Peppers' appeal of his four-game suspension will not be heard by the NFL until next week, leaving the rookie defensive end, the league's sack leader with 11, eligible to play Sunday against Atlanta. A hearing is tentatively scheduled for Nov.26.

Peppers' agent, Marvin Demoff, said the league told him his client tested positive for a banned substance in a dietary supplement. The NFL has yet to confirm Peppers' suspension.

A judge ordered offensive lineman Chris Terry arrested after he failed to appear in court on a misdemeanor charge of assaulting his wife, NyQuell Jackson-Terry. Defense attorney Chris Fialko told Judge Resa Harris he had scheduled to meet Terry at the courthouse before the hearing and didn't understand why the player hadn't shown up.

EAGLES: Quarterback Tim Hasselbeck and free safety Clinton Hart were added to the team's practice squad, and offensive lineman Patrick Venzke and safety Julian Jones were released.

Hasselbeck completed 23 of 32 passes (71.9 percent) for 200 yards and one touchdown in four preseason games for the Eagles. Hart played for the Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League last season and spent most of training camp with the Eagles before being released.

BROWNS: Tight end Aaron Shea was placed on the injured list and will miss the rest of the season because of a severely sprained left ankle.

Shea hurt his ankle during a Nov. 11 practice. He caught seven passes for 49 yards this season and also played special teams.

The Browns signed fullback R.J. Bowers, who has appeared in three games for them this season, from the practice squad.

BEARS: Defensive back Todd McMillon will miss the rest of the season after suffering a thumb injury, and offensive lineman Marc Columbo also is not expected to play after dislocating his kneecap.

Columbo, this year's top draft choice who became a starter last month, was injured against St. Louis last Monday. Coach Dick Jauron said the Bears would know later in the week whether the injury will require surgery.

McMillon had surgery Tuesday to repair ligament damage in his left thumb.

PATRIOTS: Cornerback Jimmy Hitchcock was released. During his eight-year career, he has 19 interceptions, five touchdowns and 357 career tackles.

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