In Buffalo, Von Miller’s season comes to an early end

Since his trade from the Broncos last season, Von Miller seemed to have a charmed football life.

He went to Los Angeles, recovered from an ankle injury and helped power the Rams to a Super Bowl win. A month later, he signed with the Buffalo Bills and proved equally effective. Further, with 17 sacks in his last 19 games in total, his efficiency and production resembled that of his salad days in Denver.

And then came a knee injury that surgery Tuesday revealed to be a torn ACL.

Bills coach Sean McDermott announced Wednesday that the knee injury Miller suffered Thanksgiving Day — which was initially thought to be lateral meniscus damage, as Miller said on his podcast — is actually the second torn ACL of his career.

“Very unfortunate situation for Von, obviously, and our team,” McDermott said. “We care for him, obviously, like we would any other player. We know how much this means to him in terms of playing and being with the team. So, we look forward to getting him back.”

Coach McDermott provides an update on @VonMiller.

Heal up, 40. ❤️💙 #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/1LkZd2wfSz

— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) December 7, 2022

Miller signed with the Bills hoping to do something no player has done: win three Super Bowls with three different teams. In his two previous Super Bowl wins, he earned one MVP award and made a strong case for another, with 2 sacks last February in the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Buffalo used Miller judiciously, but effectively. In his first 10 games, he played between 49 and 78 percent of the snaps.

His season high in snap percentage — to no surprise — was at Kansas City. He posted two sacks — including one on a third-and-6 in the fourth quarter with Buffalo trailing, 20-17. Miller’s sack forced a punt, and the Bills subsequently drove to the game-winning touchdown.

That’s the sort of impact that made Buffalo believe Miller was the final piece of their championship puzzle.

Now, Miller will begin the second ACL rehab of his career. He tore his ACL on Dec. 22, 2013 at Houston. Miller returned in time for the start of the 2014 campaign just under nine months later. It didn’t take long for him to recapture his bend and burst; he had 14 sacks that year.

But Miller went through that rehab heading into his age-25 season. Now, his potential return will come at age 34. And his dream of playing in a third Super Bowl with a third different team will now be deferred.

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