Packers say Favre will make next start
Packers quarterback Brett Favre is expected to start against the Oakland Raiders on Dec. 9 and keep alive his record streak for consecutive starts.
"Just to quote the medical staff, his streak is not in danger. He'll be OK," coach Mike McCarthy said Friday, the day after Favre was knocked out of the Packers' 37-27 loss at Dallas with elbow and shoulder injuries.
The streak, which dates to 1992, stands at 249 games (269 including playoffs) and is a league record for quarterbacks.
The 38-year-old Favre was at Lambeau Field on Friday for treatment of a bruised right elbow. He also aggravated a left shoulder separation, which he first injured 15 years ago, on a hit by blitzing Dallas cornerback Nate Jones in the second quarter.
McCarthy said the medical staff didn't indicate that Favre had nerve damage in his throwing elbow, which had been feared after the game.
"It has more to do with the belly of the muscle around the elbow. It's not as severe as last year," McCarthy said.
Favre damaged a nerve in the same elbow against New England in November 2006 and didn't finish the game.
Alexander will start: Running back Shaun Alexander will start in the Seahawks' game Sunday at Philadelphia after practicing for a third straight day following a 3½-week absence with a sprained knee.
Exactly how much the NFL's 2005 MVP will play remains unclear. Alexander also has a broken left wrist and will wear a cast in the game.
"He is really moving well. He has no pain and he wants to play," coach Mike Holmgren said Friday before the team flew east.
Holmgren reiterated that backup Maurice Morris will get more carries than he usually would when Alexander starts.
Peterson probable: Running back Adrian Peterson was listed as probable for the Vikings' game against the Lions on Sunday after missing two games because of a torn lateral collateral ligament in his right knee.
"He had some soreness, which you would expect ... just from the inactivity," coach Brad Childress said after practice Friday.
"It's not going to slow me down," Peterson said of the soreness. "I'm going to be out there going full speed. It's just a matter of feeling what it's like when I get hit."
Wide receiver Troy Williamson was listed as doubtful for Sunday's game due to lingering effects from a concussion.
Testaverde looking good: Quarterback Vinny Testaverde is probable for the Panthers' game Sunday against San Francisco after making it through an entire week of practice. Coach John Fox remains a little nervous.
"Our hopes are high," Fox said Friday with a cautious laugh. "Out of respect for our (quarterback) situation, I will wait and see. This is not being coy. This time last week I said Vinny looked good -- and then there was Saturday."
That's when Testaverde, after a week of working with the first team in practice, woke up with a bad back. Trainers and chiropractors couldn't get him ready for Sunday's important game against New Orleans, and the Panthers were forced to go with David Carr. He struggled again in the Panthers' 31-6 loss at home. … Miami Dolphins middle linebacker Zach Thomas will miss his fifth straight game against the New York Jets because of migraines.