Von trap: Jets sing praises of Bills LB

The Jets face their toughest test of the 2022 season when they host division rival Buffalo at home Sunday. The Bills have only got better since the last time the Jets saw them in a 27-10 Week 18 loss in January where Buffalo clinched its second straight AFC East title.

In March the Bills added former Super Bowl MVP Von Miller to their already stacked defense, signing the veteran to a six-year, $120 million deal. Through seven games in Buffalo, Miller has six sacks and 13 tackles, eight of which have been for a loss. If the Bills’ defense was a headache to game plan against last season, it became a full-blown migraine with the addition of Miller.

Jets offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur was not shy in his praise for Miller.

“He’s extremely intelligent,” LaFleur said. “When you watch him you can just see where his head’s moving. Watching the play clock doing all the things that a Hall of Famer’s going to do and he’s added an element that they didn’t have a year ago and it’s just made them even better.”

Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich echoed LaFleur’s sentiment saying Miller has created a legacy for himself that will stand the test of time. The Jets have faced edge rushers like Miller this season, including Browns’ Myles Garrett and Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson. However, the Jets haven’t faced the likes of Garrett or Hendrickson with starting quarterback Zach Wilson under center, as he missed the first three weeks of the season with a meniscus injury.

Given that both Garrett and Hendrickson disrupted the passing game by putting pressure on then-starting quarterback Joe Flacco, Wilson will have to be quick in his decisions under pressure from Miller and the Bills’ pass rush.

Tight end Tyler Conklin said the game plan for Miller is similar to the one the Jets used for Garrett and Hendrickson.

“You have to be aware of where they’re at on the field at all times and have a plan to try to contain Miller because he’s a Hall of Fame player,” Conklin said.

The Jets sit just one game back of the Bills in the win column in the AFC East, and while the oddsmakers seem to think the Jets don’t have a chance, the Jets were underdogs by 11.5 points as of Thursday afternoon, this season has been all about the Jets defying the odds and proving people wrong, and they’ll look to do it again on Sunday.