Bills Central

Bills Already Have 'Super Bowl Trophy'? Von Miller Motivation vs. Bengals

With a win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, the Buffalo Bills will be one step away from reaching the Super Bowl. And even though he's not playing, veteran linebacker Von Miller is helping them get there.

Zach Dimmitt

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The "Super Bowl trophy'' is already in Buffalo?!

Buffalo Bills linebacker Von Miller may be out for the season, but he isn't letting his absence on the field affect his impact off of it.

After winning his second Super Bowl ring last year with the Los Angeles Rams, Miller signed with Buffalo in the offseason and arrived with similar championship expectations. And along with bringing that same incomparable veteran experience he had with LA, he's also using the same motivation tactics with his new Bills teammates.

Per ESPN, Miller has been keeping a replica Lombardi Trophy at the Bills facility and just recently decided to put it on display with a message attached for his teammates to see ahead of Sunday's AFC Divisional matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals at Highmark Stadium.

"When you get to a certain point in the season, and you can see the light at the end of the tunnel, that replica is the exclamation point on, this is what it's about, you know, we've come this far," he told ESPN in September.

But the timing of putting the replica on display has to be just right. As the Bills prep for Sunday, seems like now is the perfect time.

"It wouldn't have the same sting if I brought it out here today, you know?" Miller said at the start of the season. "We're looking at like playoffs, two, three weeks left in the season where guys can refocus and you really want to get the most out of everybody."

Clearly, it's a tactic that worked on the Rams. It seems to already be doing the same in Buffalo.

"Von had put the Super Bowl trophy over in the locker room and put, 'You said you'd do anything for it,'" Bills receiver Gabe Davis said. "So, kind of reminded me of what we need to do to get there. And I'm going to try my best to show the guys they can trust me and do the extra work."

But the written message isn't always the same.

"I'll get a piece of paper, and I get a big red marker, and I'll write just a little message on there, like, 'Pressure is a privilege.'" Miller said. "And then I'll write like a little message, 'Remember you said you would do anything for me (the trophy).' Just little stuff like that, just little one-liners that just help you refocus and help you prioritize why we come up here."

There's been a championship-or-bust expectation in Buffalo over the past few seasons. The Bills have gotten close a handful of times, but have yet to reach their first Super Bowl since quarterback Jim Kelly and company lost the big game for the fourth consecutive year in 1993.

Having Miller in the building could maybe be finally what puts them over the edge.

"I think the guys that we have in this locker room, the veteran leadership that we have,  even having Von Miller in the locker room, just being able to talk with guys," Bills quarterback Josh Allen said. "It's so huge for what it does to our psyche and our mental approach to the game."

The Bills have been on an emotional rollercoaster this season, but are now at a point where they can settle and focus on the task in front of them.

And with Miller still in their presence, the Bills are getting their focus prioritized even more so than before.

"It's multiple things that motivate all of these guys around here," Miller said. "It could be money, it could be legacy, it could be just trying to get in the league. ... Everybody's priority is not the same, even though everybody wants to win."

The Bills and Bengals kickoff at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday from Orchard Park.

You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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Zach Dimmitt
ZACH DIMMITT

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