Numbers prove Bills' Von Miller officially back to his Hall-of-Fame ways

Buffalo Bills' DE Von Miller was in rare form during the Thursday Night Football win.
Dec 23, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA;  Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Easton Stick (2) looks to pass as offensive tackle Trey Pipkins III (79) blocks Buffalo Bills linebacker Von Miller (40) during the third quarter at SoFi Stadium
Dec 23, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Easton Stick (2) looks to pass as offensive tackle Trey Pipkins III (79) blocks Buffalo Bills linebacker Von Miller (40) during the third quarter at SoFi Stadium / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Von Miller has said that he feels like his former self again on multiple occasions, and the Buffalo Bills' grizzled veteran played like it during the Thursday Night Football victory over the Miami Dolphins.

Seemingly back to form after an ACL tear interrupted his Bills' tenure in 2022, the 35-year-old Miller looked a lot more like a Canton-bound edge rusher than an over-the-hill has-been. The explosive defense end abused Dolphins' right tackle Austin Jackson throughout Buffalo's 31-10 triumph.

In 14 pass rush reps against Jackson, Miller generated four pressures according to Next Gen Stats. He got to the quarterback in under 2.5 seconds on all pressures and his 2.10-second average time was his best since the 2021 season when he won a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams.

After only three tackles over a 12-game regular season sample last year, Miller has opened the 2024 campaign by recording sacks in back-to-back weeks. He logged two solo tackles over 29 total snaps, including a fourth-down sack that denied the Dolphins in the redzone.

Miller earned a 90.7 game grade from Pro Football Focus, the highest mark of all Bills' players in the lopsided victory.

"I'm not thinking about my knee. I'm not thinking about anything. I'm just thinking about being the best pass rusher I can be," said Miller during the first week of training camp in July.

RELATED: Von Miller makes bold statement on fellow Bills' edge rusher

In 10.5 games prior to his 2022 injury, Miller made 8.0 sacks for Buffalo. He returned to the rotation in Week 5 last season, but was ineffective while required to wear a knee brace.

Miller finally ditched the knee brace in OTAs this past spring and looks like he has some juice left in his Hall-of-Fame legs.

— Enjoy free coverage of the Bills from Buffalo Bills on SI —

More Buffalo Bills News:


Published |Modified
Ralph Ventre

RALPH VENTRE