Miller makes presence felt during 1st 6 games with Bills
It was a familiar moment with a far different outcome for Bills receiver Stefon Diggs now that Buffalo has Von Miller to lean upon.
Walking off the field in Kansas City after Dawson Knox scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:04 remaining, Diggs issued a forceful but simple message to Miller on the sideline.
“Finish the game,” Diggs said.
In an eerily fitting 13 seconds later, Miller did just that.
Lining up on the left side, Miller faked left and burst inside to get around tackle Andrew Wylie and flush Patrick Mahomes out of the pocket. Miller then got his right hand on Mahomes’ jersey, forcing the quarterback to double-clutch before throwing a short pass intercepted by Taron Johnson to seal a 24-20 victory.
In January, in a similar situation, the Bills infamously fell short, blowing a three-point lead in the final 13 seconds of an eventual 42-36 overtime loss in the AFC divisional playoff round. Mahomes completed two passes for 44 yards to set up Harrison Butker’s tying field goal. Mahomes’ second completion, a 25-yarder over the middle to Travis Kelce, came with pass rusher Jerry Hughes — the player Miller has replaced — coming a step short from getting to the quarterback.
The contrast between the outcomes wasn’t lost on Diggs.
“It’s crazy, because we’ve been there before and those moments feel like not even deja vu,” he said following. “It seems like something brand new.”
That difference is Miller, who at 33 is hardly brand new, but adds an imposing presence to Buffalo’s defense.
“No, I don’t think it can be understated at all,” coach Sean McDermott said of Miller’s addition.
“He’s an elite player. He’s brought a mindset to our football team,” McDermott added. “He’s taught and brought an assertive leadership type of approach to our football team. He’s truly a special human being, and we’re happy to have him.”
Not coincidentally, the Bills are happy to enter their bye week at 5-1, the best record in the AFC. Even after this weekend’s games, Buffalo will still top the conference when it returns to host Green Bay on Oct. 30.
And Miller, who initially second-guessed his offseason decision to leave the defending Super Bowl champion Rams and bright lights of Los Angeles for a rustbelt city such as Buffalo, is glad to be a Bill.
“To come out here and have success like this, I have been around Josh since March, and he came out here and played his (behind) off,” Miller said, referring to quarterback Josh Allen.
“Defense, we do what we do,” he added before paying tribute to Bills fans. “I am happy for Bills Mafia, because they deserve wins like this.”
The buzz in Buffalo is at full tilt.
And while fans spent this week renaming a portion of Buffalo’s Hertel Avenue to “Hurdle” in honor of Allen leaping over Chiefs safety Justin Reid for a 16yard gain to set up Knox’s TD, much of the credit also belongs to Miller.
So far, he looks like the missing piece on an otherwise deep and talented team that has fallen short in playoff losses at Kansas City in each of the past two seasons.