AP source: Tests reveal no ACL tear in Bills’ Miller’s knee
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Tests on Buffalo Bills star pass rusher Von Miller’s injured right knee showed no tear to the anterior cruciate ligament, a person with direct knowledge of the injury told The Associated Press.
Coach Sean McDermott has already ruled Miller out of next week’s game against the New England Patriots. The person who detailed Miller’s test results spoke to The AP on the condition of anonymity because the team has not revealed that information.
ESPN first reported the test results on Miller.
McDermott on Friday declined to discuss the severity or nature of the injury sustained in a 28-25 win over the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving.
“We’re just going to take it one week at a time,” McDermott said. “There will be more testing and whatnot that gets involved. But I’ll just keep it at that for now.”
Miller was hurt late in the second quarter. He was pushing his way through the right side of the Lions’ line when his knee bent awkwardly at the same time center Frank Ragnow stepped on Miller’s right ankle.
Miller walked off the field on his own, and he was examined briefly on the sideline before being carted off. The Bills finished the game with just three defensive ends. Greg Rousseau and A.J. Epenesa didn’t play because of ankle injuries.
Packers rookie OL Rhyan gets 6-game suspension for PEDs
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Green Bay Packers rookie offensive lineman Sean Rhyan has been suspended without pay for six games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.
The penalty means the third-round draft pick out of UCLA must sit out the rest of the regular season.
NFL officials announced the suspension Friday. The Packers said they wouldn’t have any comment on the matter because of the confidentiality of the process.
Rhyan has participated in only one play this season and for no offensive snaps. He was active and appeared in one special-teams play on Nov. 6 in a 15-9 loss at Detroit.
He dressed but didn’t play in five games and was ruled inactive for five other games.
Rhyan started 31 games at UCLA. He earned second-team all-Pac-12 honors from The Associated Press and was a first-team all-conference selection from the league’s coaches last year while playing left tackle. Rhyan had been working primarily at guard this year, though the Packers’ roster lists him as a guard/tackle.
Green Bay selected him with the 92nd overall pick in the draft.
Arizona ends 5-game losing streak to ASU
TUCSON, Ariz. — Michael Wiley ran for 214 yards and three touchdowns, and Arizona beat Arizona State 38-35 on Friday to end a five-game losing streak in the Territorial Cup rivalry.
The Wildcats (5-7, 3-6 Pac12) twice led by 10 points and let Arizona State back in it both times in a wild game that featured 1,018 combined yards.
Wiley was Arizona’s workhorse, finishing with the second-most rushing yards in Territorial Cup history behind Trung Candidate’s 288 for Arizona in 1998.
Trenton Bourguet threw for 376 yards and three touchdowns for Arizona State (3-9, 2-7) in Shaun Aguano’s final game as interim coach. The Sun Devils got the ball back at their own 28-yard line with 1:33 after stopping Arizona on a fourth-and-1, but Bourguet threw his second interception after being hit.
The Sun Devils rallied from some early miscues to lead 1410 at halftime.
Once the second half started, neither team could stop the other, combining for five touchdowns and 429 yards in the third quarter alone.
Giovanni Sanders caught a 9-yard touchdown pass from Bourguet to put Arizona State up 21-17. Wiley scored on runs of 12 and 72 yards to make it 31-21 Arizona.
Xazavian Halladay scored on a 1-yard run after Jalin Conyers caught a 27-yard pass between two defenders, then Conyers scored on a wide-open 4-yard pass to put Arizona State up 35-31.
DJ Williams answered with a 6-yard score to put Arizona back up and the Wildcats got the ball back on a strip sack of Bourguet with 3:17 left.
Arizona State had one last chance after stopping the Wildcats on fourth down, but Isaiah Taylor made a diving interception after Jacob Manu hit Bourguet’s arm.
A melee between multiple
players ensued, but the pick ended Arizona’s five-year misery against its biggest rival.
Broncos without receivers Jeudy, Hamler vs. Carolina
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos will be without receivers Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler for their game Sunday at Carolina.
Jeudy was ruled out Friday with an ankle injury and Hamler with a bothersome hamstring. The team also will be missing cornerback K’Waun Williams (wrist/elbow/knee) and defensive lineman Jonathan Harris (knee).
This will be the second straight game minus Jeudy and third in a row with Hamler on the sideline. Jeudy has caught three of Wilson’s seven touchdown passes this season, while Hamler has provided a deep threat.
“Those guys are both very talented players,” Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett said Friday after practice. “We want them out there when we can get them healthy. But we have the guys that are ready to go and ready to rock, so we want to be sure that we’re able to attack with those guys as well.”
Canada takes 2 medals in monobob, Humphries 3rd for US
WHISTLER, British Columbia — Canada took the top two spots in the first women’s monobob World Cup race of the season Friday, while Olympic champion Kaillie Humphries of the U.S. won the bronze.
Bianca Ribi finished her two runs in 1 minute, 50.89 seconds for her first win on the top women’s circuit. She was 0.27 seconds faster than fellow Canadian slider Cynthia Appiah, and Humphries had the fastest time in the second heat to finish third, 0.29 seconds off the pace.