Aikman Won’t Return Sunday

Injured Dallas Cowboy quarterback Troy Aikman will not play in his target return game.

Aikman, sidelined since suffering a broken collarbone against Denver in Week 2, had aimed for Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers at Dallas for his return.

But Coach Chan Gailey said, “It would take a major miracle for him to return, not a minor one.”

X-rays showed on Monday that Aikman’s collarbone hasn’t totally healed. Aikman now says he probably won’t play until Nov. 2 at Philadelphia. The Cowboys are at Chicago on Oct. 18, and have an open date after that.

Meanwhile, right guard Everett McIver will be sidelined six to eight weeks with a sprained ligament in his right knee.

McIver was involved in a highly publicized training camp incident with receiver Michael Irvin, who cut him with a pair of scissors.

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St. Louis Ram quarterback Tony Banks, who suffered a mildly separated shoulder against Minnesota on Sept. 13, threw only a few passes and was in some pain as the team returned to practice after an open date. Banks needed pain-killing shots to play the Rams’ last two games against Buffalo and Arizona.

Ram wide receiver Isaac Bruce, who has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury, is expected to practice Wednesday.