Sports: Around the NFC

Around the NFC

By Compiled from Times wires

BEARS: Cornerback Walt Harris got his first interception of the season and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown. ... Running back Curtis Enis' 11-yard touchdown run was the longest of his career.

CARDINALS: Quarterback Jake Plummer, wide receiver Rob Moore and interim coach Dave McGinnis went door-to-door in Tempe, Ariz., on Saturday to campaign for a Maricopa County measure to build Arizona a stadium. The measure goes to the voters today. ... A poll published by the Arizona Republic on Saturday showed the stadium measure favored 53 percent to 38 percent.

COWBOYS: Coach Dave Campo said quarterback Troy Aikman will start against Cincinnati on Sunday if he's healthy. Randall Cunningham started against the Eagles.

EAGLES: Defensive end Hugh Douglas recorded his career-high 13th sack in the fourth quarter, and defensive tackle Brandon Whiting got his first two sacks of the season.

FALCONS: The Bucs ended punter Dan Stryzinski's streak of 557 punts without a block dating to Sept. 31, 1993, when he was playing for Tampa Bay against the Falcons. ... Dan Reeves is 29-29 as Atlanta coach, 8-18 over the past two seasons. ... Running back Jamal Anderson caught a career-high nine passes for 48 yards.

49ERS: Quarterback Jeff Garcia, who had thrown five interceptions on the season, threw two against the Saints. ... Wide receiver Jerry Rice had 28 yards receiving, leaving him 37 shy of 2,000 career yards against the Saints.

GIANTS: Offensive tackle Lomas Brown said he and Browns coach Jesse Palmer did not speak after the game. In a teleconference last week, Brown ripped Palmer and the Browns, who released him in February. "I'm happy it's over with," Brown said. "I talked a lot of talk and had to back it up."

LIONS: Kicker Jason Hanson didn't score for the first time this season. He scored in every game in 1999. ... All-Pro defensive end Robert Porcher was late arriving because his pregnant wife, Kimberly, was having kidney stones removed. ... They allowed an opening-drive touchdown for the first time in two years, an NFL-best streak of 34 games. ... They entered leading the NFL in forced turnovers with 26, but they forced none against the Dolphins.

PACKERS: Kicker Ryan Longwell entered Monday's game four field goals shy of the 100 needed to qualify for the NFL's career accuracy rankings, where he'd rank first at 84.96 percent.

PANTHERS: Veteran defensive end Reggie White, described by Rams coach Mike Martz last week as a player "at the end of his career," had two sacks. "The comments did fire some people up, but I know Mike Martz and I don't think he meant anything," White said. ... They have allowed four touchdown passes through eight games.

RAMS: First-round pick Trung Canidate, drafted as running back Marshall Faulk's backup, was active for the first time in seven games after recovering from a sprained foot, but he did not play despite an injury to Faulk. Martz, who said last week that it was time for Canidate to get on the field, gave no explanation. ... Opponents have scored first in eight of their nine games. The exception was San Diego, a 57-31 loser in Week 5.

REDSKINS: They have used three kickers this season. The trio of rookie Kris Heppner, Brett Conway and Michael Husted are a combined 11-of-17 on field goals.

SAINTS: Running back Ricky Williams has eight touchdowns in the past five games. He has 907 yards rushing, 43 more than he had last season. ... They went in with 36 sacks but had none against the 49ers.

VIKINGS: Rookie free safety Tyrone Carter was forced into the lineup for Orlando Thomas, out two months with a shoulder injury. "Believe me, Tyrone Carter is being rushed into play," coach Dennis Green said. "You can't just step in there." The 5-foot-8 Carter he won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's top defensive back last season at the University of Minnesota, and his 414 solo tackles are a Division I-A record.