Faulk Will Need Surgery

St. Louis Ram running back Marshall Faulk will continue to play through pain.

Faulk probably won’t miss any games but will need off-season surgery for a bruised right knee he’s played with most of the season.

Tests Monday showed loose cartilage, a slightly enlarged bruise inside the joint and torn scar tissue from a knee injury suffered while with the Indianapolis Colts earlier in his career.

“They don’t believe it’s anything that would keep him from playing,” Coach Mike Martz said. “It’s a chronic situation that continues to be aggravated.”

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Garrison Hearst will attempt a comeback, and Travis Jervey will be lost for the season.

More than 21 months after a severe ankle injury threatened to end his career, Hearst has been cleared to practice with the San Francisco 49ers.

Jervey broke his collarbone at the end of a 68-yard kickoff return on Sunday and was put on injured reserve.

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The Dallas Cowboys will have to wait a few days to see whether quarterback Troy Aikman will be available for Sunday’s against Philadelphia after being sidelined by back spasms last weekend against Jacksonville.

Aikman visited with trainers and doctors and decided to take a wait-and-see approach.

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Carolina Panther tight end Wesley Walls, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, will miss the rest of the season because of torn ligaments in his left knee. . . . Dorsey Levens, the Packers’ oft-injured star running back, might miss next Monday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings even though tests showed he didn’t seriously injure his right knee.

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Natrone Means, cut by Carolina last week, will work out for the Philadelphia Eagles today.

Means played one game for the Panthers, and didn’t get a carry. Means ran 112 times for 277 yards and four touchdowns in seven games with San Diego last season.