Buffalo Bills' Von Miller Details Why Loss To New England Patriots is 'Good Medicine'
It feels as if the Buffalo Bills are back to square one after an embarrassing 29-25 upset loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday.
Like the two games before, the offense started slowly and couldn't get going until it was too late. This time, though, the defense struggled as well, allowing the offensively-challenged Patriots to move the ball effectively and put together a game-winning drive.
If the Bills want to get anywhere close to their Super Bowl aspirations, then games like this simply can't happen. For Bills linebacker Von Miller, though, this game could serve as a valuable learning experience.
"Like I always say, losses like this are reality checks and it's good medicine," Miller told reporters Monday. "I think every team, at some point, you need a reality check and they're always good. You're able to look in the mirror, see what you do well, see what you don't do well, and you know, you just keep going.
"A good punch in the chin, punch in the mouth, it's always good for great competitors like we have."
Of course, a punch in the mouth is only good if a team responds to it appropriately. The Bills must do so with this loss and not let it snowball into more losses, especially with a short week coming up.
"You've got to be a true competitor to understand that," Miller said. "You have to have been punched in the mouth before to kind of know what I'm talking about. We've got a room full of competitors, front office is competitive, quarterback is competitive, our coaches are definitely competitive. So we'll dust ourselves off and get ready for next week."
Miller played just six snaps on Sunday, and has played sparingly since returning from a torn ACL he suffered last season. While his playing time has been limited, Miller is still a great veteran presence who knows how to lead a team like few others.
Now that the Bills have been punched in the mouth, it's up to them to take Miller's advice and respond well to it.