Miller’s pick highlights defensive will
CARSON, CAL I F.» Von Miller intercepted the football with nothing but green grass ahead.
“I thought I was going to the house,” he said.
A 6-foot-3, 250-pound Broncos’ defensive back? Not quite.
Miller just played the role to perfection on a single snap which proved crucial in a dramatic comeback victory. The Chargers led by 12 late in the third quarter and faced third-and-9 at the Denver 35. Miller stared down L.A. quarterback Philip Rivers off right tackle with three receivers bunched nearby.
Miller took steps toward Rivers at the snap, but as Rivers drew the football back to throw, Miller stopped in his tracks. He’d played in 15 regular season games versus Rivers before Sunday. This play looked familiar.
“I stayed there for the screen,” Miller said, “and he threw it to me.”
A mad dash ensued (complete with teammate commentary).
Cornerback Chris Harris: “That was good awareness — I think I taught him that.”
Defensive end Adam Gotsis: “It was pretty dope. I thought he was a bit slow on the return (laughs).”
Safety Justin Simmons: “That’s just stuff you expect from Von.”
Forgive Miller for not outsprinting Chargers’ wide receiver Travis Benjamin and falling 18 yards shy of glory, because three offensive snaps later, running back Royce Freeman found the end zone — and the spark for a 2322 comeback victory ignited.
“It was probably one of the biggest plays of the game,” linebacker Bradley Chubb said. “Because when you see one of your best leaders doing something like that, it has the whole team wanting to go out there and reciprocate that same energy.”
The Broncos’ defensive performance was far from perfect inside the StubHub Center as Rivers completed seven passes of 25-plus yards and L.A. converted nine third-down attempts. But Denver limited Chargers’ running back Melvin Gordon to 69 yards rushing, Harris had an interception and Denver sacked Rivers three times.
The Broncos’ defense made a critical stop late. Denver opted to punt instead of attempting a long field goal late in the fourth quarter — warranted trust as the Broncos’ forced a third-down incompletion that gave their offense the ball back with 1:51 on the clock. Just enough time for a gritty drive by quarterback Case Keenum capped by Brandon McManus’ game-winning field goal.
Miller nabbed one of those Rivers takedowns to make history. Including the playoffs, Miller now has 100 sacks to join Reggie White and DeMarcus Ware as the only players in league history to record at least 10 sacks in seven of their first eight seasons
However, Miller downplayed his pick in his postgame interview. The focus shifts to Pittsburgh next week.
“I was just trying to win,” Miller said. “That’s our motto: Somebody make a play. It doesn’t matter who it is. I read the thing and he threw it straight to me. We’ve been in games like this all year long. … This week, it had the same type of feeling as the all the other games. We were able to make a play or two to come out with the win.”