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Nine years after they won Super Bowl 50 with Von Miller taking home MVP honors, the Denver Broncos have returned to the NFL playoffs and they’re set to face the Buffalo Bills — and Von Miller.
Miller last played for the Broncos in 2021 and he has never met Bo Nix, Denver’s rookie quarterback, but they have followed each other from afar.
“I know just from watching the Broncos back in the day, he was the contributor,” Nix said after Wednesday’s practice. “[He was] the main player for that Super Bowl team on defense and he made some great plays that day for the Super Bowl, but also that year. [He was] a great guy to have in this organization, but now he’s on the opposing team and now we have to face him.
“We know the strengths that he has, and they’re really talented up front, especially on the edge. They’re athletic [and] rangy. They’re going to good job of trying to disrupt the game. Just like all those other good players that we’ve played throughout the year with different edge guys, we just have to do our best to contain them and not let them just take over the game.”
Miller, 35, isn’t as productive now as he was during his time in Denver, but the veteran edge rusher is hot going into the postseason with a sack in each of Buffalo’s last two games. Miller also had a habit of flipping a switch in the playoffs with 10.5 sacks in 13 career postseason games.
“You see his edge presence,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of watching Miller’s film. “Certainly, he does a great job with his arms. He can still bend. You have to be aware of when he’s on the field relative to what you’re wanting to do. I can remember him for all those years here.
“When you coach the Pro Bowl, we were playing an actual Pro Bowl game back then. We happened to be the staff for the NFC, and obviously he was with the AFC. I don’t know what the financial difference is for the winners and losers, but back then the fourth quarter, it would pick up a little bit because everyone had a hotel bill to pay. Certainly, watching him play in that Pro Bowl, I’ll never forget it. I thought, ‘This guy has a big hotel room bill to pay,’ and we had problems blocking him, so you’ll never forget that. Elite player, Hall-of-Fame type player.”
Miller has totaled six sacks this season and 129.5 regular-season sacks in his career. The two-time Super Bowl champion is a lock to reach the Hall of Fame when he eventually hangs up his cleats. Miller still has gas left in the tank, though, and he’ll look to kick his former team out of the playoffs on Sunday.