Miller chases only No. 1 Brady

Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller was voted by his peers as the second-best overall player behind Tom Brady and the best defender in the NFL for the 2016 season.

Miller, the third Bronco (cornerbacks Chris Harris No. 63 and Aqib Talib No. 37) on the list, cracked the top two a year after winning Super Bowl 50 MVP and becoming the highest-paid defender in the NFL. He has been voted to the top 100 every year he’s been in the league, but never before has he ranked higher than No. 9, a spot he owned after the 2012-13 season, when he recorded a Broncos single-season record of 18½ sacks.

Less than five months after losing to Oakland Raiders linebacker Khalil Mack by only one vote for The Associated Press defensive player of the year award, Miller earned top honors among defenders in the top 100, while Mack came in at No. 5.

Although the Broncos failed to make the playoffs, the 2016 season was arguably Miller’s finest as he recorded 13½ sacks (second-most in the NFL behind Vic Beasley’s 15½), a career-best 78 total tackles, 24 quarterback hits, three passbreakups and three forced fumbles — all while he was often double- and triple-teamed by opponents.

According to Pro Football Focus, Miller also led all edge defenders with 53 defensive stops.

In a Broncos overtime loss against Kansas City in Week 12, Miller recorded his 70th career sack to become the fourth-fastest in league history to hit the mark (83 games). He finished his sixth NFL season with a career total of 73½ quarterback takedowns, tied for fourth-most in Broncos history.

In reward, Miller was selected to his third all-pro first team, becoming the first Bronco since cornerback Champ Bailey (2004-06) to earn as many.

And yet Miller believes he still hasn’t reached his ceiling.

“I always felt like my best season is my season coming up next,” he said last month. “It’s just how I always played.” Top 10 players on NFL 100 for 2016

1. Tom Brady, QB New England Patriots 2. Von Miller, OLB, Denver Broncos 3. Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons 4. Antonio Brown, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers 5. Khalil Mack, LB, Oakland Raiders 6. Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers 7. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys 8. Odell Beckham Jr., WR, New York Giants 9. Le’Veon Bell, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers 10. Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons