Buffalo Bills star edge rusher and future Hall of Famer Von Miller expressed confidence recently that he’d be able to return Week 14 against the New York Jets.
Miller suffered a knee injury in Buffalo’s win over the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving. At least initially, it seemed to be a serious injury.
When the Super Bowl MVP appeared on his most-recent podcast earlier this week, he indicated that a return following Buffalo’s Week 13 outing against the New England Patriots could be in the cards.
That is no longer the case. Buffalo announced mere hours before kickoff against New England that Miller has been placed on injured reserve. This means he’ll miss at least the next four games and can’t return until Week 17 against the defending AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals.
Related: Sportsnaut’s NFL defense rankings heading into Week 13
Signed to a whopping six-year, $120 million contract during NFL free agency this past March, Miller has played an important role for a Bills defense that ranks in the top five of the NFL in points allowed.
Von Miller stats (2022): 21 tackles, 10 for loss, 12 QB hits, 8 sacks
Those 12 quarterback hits and eight sacks lead Buffalo despite the 33-year-old Miller playing somewhat of a part-time role. Without him in the mix, fellow edge rushers Gregory Rousseau and A.J. Epenesa must step up in his stead.
As for Miller’s potential return to action, the hope is that he’s out just a minimum of those four games. Buffalo finds itself in a battle with the first-place Miami Dolphins in the AFC East. Unfortunately, Von Miller will now miss their matchup with Miami in Week 15 following Thursday’s news.