NFL Notebook: Moore will start at quarterback for Panthers

■ Panthers: Matt Moore will make his third consecutive start at quarterback on Sunday night when Carolina plays the Minnesota Vikings. Jake Delhomme was ruled out of the game yesterday with a broken finger that has sidelined him since Nov. 29.

Moore is 1-1 as a starter, but the Panthers have scored just two touchdowns in those games.

Cornerback Richard Marshall is questionable (right ankle) but practiced yesterday. Tyrell Sutton, a backup running back and kick returner, is questionable (hamstring).

Defensive end Tyler Brayton (concussion) is probable after missing last weekend's loss to New England. Linebacker Na'il Diggs (ribs), receiver Muhsin Muhammad (knee) and running back Jonathan Stewart (toe) are also probable.

■ Vikings: Wide receiver Percy Harvin has returned to practice, and he said he "should be" able to play in Sunday's game at Carolina.

Harvin missed all last week and practices Wednesday and Thursday because of problems with migraine headaches. But he was on the field participating in drills with his helmet on during yesterday's light workout.

Harvin said afterward he had a good practice and hoped he'd play against the Panthers.

Harvin said he's trying different medicines and treatments to fight the problem he's had most of his life. He said the headaches are "scary," but his experience dealing with them has helped him cope with the effects and the uncertainty.

■ Cowboys: Dallas has listed linebacker DeMarcus Ware as questionable for tonight's game against undefeated New Orleans. He is recovering from a strained neck sustained in a head-first collision in Sunday's loss to the San Diego Chargers.

The Cowboys had to provide his game status yesterday. On the practice report Thursday, Ware was listed as not participating even though he was on the field during the 90-minute practice without pads that was like a walkthrough.

■ Bills: Buffalo put right guard Kendall Simmons on injured reserve yesterday because of a shoulder injury, making him the fifth offensive lineman to go on the list this season. Richie Incognito, acquired off waivers Wednesday, most likely will start in Simmons' place Sunday against New England.

Also, the team signed tight end Joe Klopfenstein to replace Simmons on the 53-man roster.

■ Jets: Rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez will start Sunday when New York plays the Atlanta Falcons after missing one game with a sprained posterior-cruciate ligament in his right knee. Coach Rex Ryan said that Sanchez was medically cleared by team doctors after practicing three straight days. Sanchez took all of the snaps with the first-team offense yesterday.

■ Giants: Defensive back Aaron Ross has reinjured his troublesome left hamstring, and his status for New York's crucial game against the Washington Redskins on Monday night is uncertain. Coach Tom Coughlin said that Ross was hurt Thursday afternoon and was unable to practice yesterday.

Ross hurt the hamstring twice in training camp and missed the first nine weeks of the season. He made his first start last Sunday, playing safety against the Philadelphia Eagles. Also, cornerback Corey Webster sprained his left knee against Philadelphia and hasn't been able to practice this week.

■ Chargers: Lineman Jon Runyan said that concerns about federal spending are a big reason he wants to run for Congress in New Jersey. Runyan, who spent most of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles, announced last month that he would retire from football after this season and run for a House seat as a Republican.

He's trying to unseat first-term Democrat John Adler in the New Jersey's 3rd District.

■ Bears: Devin Hester, a receiver and punt returner, will likely miss his second straight game with a left-calf injury when Chicago visits Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

Hester, the team leader with 54 catches, was injured against St. Louis two weeks ago.

He didn't practice this week after sitting out a 21-14 loss to Green Bay.

Left tackle Orlando Pace (groin), defensive tackle Tommie Harris (knee) and cornerback Charles Tillman (back) were listed as questionable for the game, as were cornerback Zackary Bowman (illness) and linebacker Jamar Williams (ankle).

■ McNair case: Adrian Gilliam, a convicted murderer who pleaded guilty to selling the gun used to kill ex-NFL quarterback Steve McNair, was sentenced to 2½ years in prison yesterday in U.S. District Court in Nashville.

Gilliam, 33, acknowledged during a court hearing in September that he sold a loaded 9 mm semiautomatic pistol to McNair's mistress, 20-year-old Sahel Kazemi, for $100. Nashville police said that Kazemi used the gun to kill McNair and herself on July 4.

■ Skrepenak plea: Greg Skrepenak, a former offensive lineman for the Oakland Raiders and Carolina Panthers who became a county commissioner in northeastern Pennsylvania, has resigned and agreed to plead guilty to accepting a bribe. He is accused of taking $5,000 from a developer for supporting a tax-incentive program and faces at least 33 months in prison under the terms of the plea agreement filed yesterday in federal court.