Warner sustained a concussion and missed all but one series in the second half Sunday in a 26-21 victory over New Orleans. But after a hospital trip for a CT scan, he returned in time to take the team flight home, and Monday the only problem he had was a bit of a headache.

After a morning checkup, team doctors gave Warner thumbs up for the return trip to New Orleans for Saturday's wild-card game, the Rams' third game in six weeks against the Saints. Coach Mike Martz said Warner, last season's NFL and Super Bowl MVP, would start and his name probably wouldn't even show up on the injury report.

"He's fine," Martz said. "They did all the tests on him. He had a little bit of a headache this morning, but he was just upstairs to look at the game (film)."

Warner tried to talk himself back into the game before the trip to the hospital, Martz said. But Warner also talked about being "fuzzy" mentally and complained of numbness in his tongue or mouth, symptoms of a concussion.

"Kurt being Kurt, he was convinced he was fine," Martz said. "But all the symptoms he told the doctors, they were very emphatic about Kurt not playing."

After the game, Warner was confident he would return for the playoffs.

"No doubt about it, I'm not going to miss that one," Warner told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "That's what it's all about."

EAGLES: Running back Darnell Autry sustained a sprained ankle during the fourth quarter of a 16-7 win over Cincinnati. Coach Andy Reid considered Autry's to be the most serious of the team's injuries. Charles Johnson (cut lip), Corey Simon (lower back bruise) and Je'Rod Cherry (dislocated finger) also were ailing.

GIANTS: Coach Jim Fassel said he expects running back Tiki Barber, who sprained his right big toe Saturday in a 28-25 win over the Jaguars, to be ready to go in two weeks.

But, he said, "We'll cover it in case he's not."

Fassel said he will give a lot of work in practice during the bye week to Joe Montgomery and Damon Washington, but perhaps more important, he'll try to get Ron Dayne "back grooving."

Dayne has been a non-factor in recent weeks. He gained three yards on six carries against the Jaguars as Fassel leaned heavily on Barber.

SAINTS: Despite losing to the Rams, players said they'll be ready to rumble when the teams meet again.

"Let's get it on," star receiver Joe Horn said. "First round of the playoffs, the Rams against the Saints. We beat them once; they beat us once. This is the best script you could have."

On Nov.26, New Orleans shocked the Rams 31-24 in St. Louis on its way to the NFC West title. Sunday, needing a victory to make the playoffs, the Rams won at the Superdome.

"This is the best team in the NFC," coach Jim Haslett said of the Rams. "And you're going to have to get by this team to get anywhere you want to go."

VIKINGS: With three new starters, the defense forced a turnover and made an opponent punt four times.

But for the third game in a row, Minnesota also gave up at least 400 yards, played poorly on third down and against the run, and was victimized by one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL in a blowout loss to the Colts.

So much for progress.

"When you play this profession, it's like it goes up and it goes down," said cornerback Robert Tate, one of the few players to talk to reporters after the game. "All we're going to do is believe in each other. And once we believe in each other, things are going to turn around."

Just as Warner and Packers quarterback Brett Favre did, the Colts' Peyton Manning took advantage of the soft coverage of Tate and Wasswa Serwanga, making his first start of the season. Manning completed 25 of 36 passes for 283 yards and four touchdowns in the 31-10 win.

The Colts gained 411 yards and converted 7 of 13 third-down chances (54 percent). Minnesota forced a turnover and more than one punt for the first time in three games, but it was of little consolation.

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