There’s going to be plenty to talk about this week, starting with Gary Kubiak‘s decision to attempt a game-winning 62-yard field goal in overtime and continuing onto the breakout performance from Trevor Siemian, but the Broncos would have never even sniffed overtime if it hadn’t been for Von Miller.
Miller has made his money as a pass rusher — and he’s made a lot of it — but on Sunday he showed just why he’s the best defensive player in the NFL, affecting the game on nearly every level.
Of course, it started with the pass rush, but before long Miller was thwarting the game in other ways: by covering pass catchers in the secondary.
Smith took off running because Miller just took away TWO pass options. Dude is INSANE! #Broncos
— Michael Jaycox (@MilkyMike) November 28, 2016
Von Miller is everywhere!
— Ryan Edwards (@redwardsradio) November 28, 2016
There is more than one @millerlite40 out there. Right?
— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) November 28, 2016
As always, though, when it mattered most, Miller was exactly where he needed to be: on top of the quarterback.
With three sacks on the night (10 tackles, four tackles for loss, a pass deflection and four quarterback hits, too), Miller brought his total to 12.5 on the year, most in the NFL. Not only that, but he put himself in some elite company.
Von Miller has joined Simon Fletcher as the only two Broncos to post five 10-sack seasons.
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) November 28, 2016
Von Miller with the sack. T-4th fastest player to reach 70 career sacks (83 games).White (57) Watt (75) Derrick Thomas (82) Bruce Smith (83)
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) November 28, 2016
Broncos LB @Millerlite40 has posted his fourth career game with at least 3 sacks, tying for 4th in the NFL since he was drafted in '11.
— Patrick Smyth (@psmyth12) November 28, 2016
He was a constant force all night, and while there will be plenty of questions surrounding the Denver Broncos moving forward, the one thing nobody can deny is that Von Miller is great, historically great.
If this team is going to rebound and make the playoffs, it’ll be because he has more night’s like this one.
Saying that Von Miller has been great tonight is an understatement of epic proportions. Wow! #Broncos
— James Merilatt (@jamesmerilatt) November 28, 2016
Is it just me or is Von Miller playing more snaps tonight than normal?
— Michael Jaycox (@MilkyMike) November 28, 2016
#Broncos Von Miller is worth every penny, all 11450000000 of them
— Arran Andersen (@arranandersen) November 28, 2016
In the Broncos’ final five games, they’ll face off against two top-five picks in Blake Bortles and Marcus Mariota before taking on a murderers’ row of Tom Brady, Alex Smith and Derek Carr.
It won’t be an easy task, but it wasn’t an easy task when Miller and the Broncos defense downed Ben Roethlisberger, Brady and Cam Newton en route to a Super Bowl championship, either.
If there’s anyone up for the task, it’s Von Miller.