Tag: Von Miller

5 storylines to watch for during Bills vs. Broncos

Storylines for Buffalo Bills vs. Denver Broncos in Week 12.

The Bills will look to keep their winning-ways moving forward in Week 12 as Buffalo hosts the Denver Broncos at New Era Field.

While entering the game at a better 7-3 record, the 3-7 Broncos will present plenty of challenges to the Bills.

With that, here are five storylines to watch unfold during the Bills’ meeting with the Broncos:

Bills defensive tackle Corey Liuget. Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Is the run defense actually back?

The Bills run defense has been more than suspect this season. Allowing 106.3 yards per game on the ground, Buffalo’s run defense is the 18th best group of run defenders in the NFL. Last week against the Dolphins, the Bills actually got the job done, though.

Starting running back Kalen Ballage had a score, but he only mustered up nine yards on nine carries. But you can’t bring that money to the bank. Buffalo’s offense got the job done and forced the Dolphins offense to abandon the rushing attack early. Plus, it’s the Dolphins. Despite entering Week 11 on a two-game winning streak, that’s not a good team. Shutting down the Broncos’ attack with Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman is going to be a much more difficult task.

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Von Miller on Broncos QB Drew Lock: ‘He’s going to kill it’

“You saw it with Tony Romo and Aaron Rodgers and all these guys and then they just blow up,” Von Miller said of rookie QB Drew Lock.

Broncos quarterback Drew Lock (thumb) returned to practice this week but he’s still on injured reserve. Denver has two more weeks to decide if the QB will be activated to the 53-man roster or spend the rest of the year on reserve.

The Broncos might drag out the decision but the rookie QB is expected to be activated before the deadline (he’ll probably start Denver’s final games of the season, too). When the second-round draft choice does get his chance to play, outside linebacker Von Miller believes Lock will shine.

“I just want to be here when he gets famous,” Miller said Thursday. “He’s going to kill it. He’s going to kill it. He’s got everything you need. The other day he ran out and did like a little bootleg and he kind of threw it. It was an incomplete pass, but I’ve seen a lot of good ones play and that was probably the best incomplete pass that I’ve seen thrown. He has a little flip-up. He’s just a star in the making.”

Miller then went on to compare Lock to a pair of notable QBs.

“You saw it with Tony Romo and Aaron Rodgers and all these guys and then they just blow up,” Miller said. “I see the same stuff for Drew. All he has to do is just keep doing what he’s doing and good karma and the type of guy he is it’s all going to come back to him.”

Lock completed 60.8 percent of his passes in preseason for 254 yards with one touchdown pass and one interception. He also rushed six times for 28 yards before suffering a thumb injury in late August.

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Broncos OLB Von Miller a big fan of Vikings QB Kirk Cousins

“[I] was trying to get this guy here, had a whole campaign to get this guy here two years ago,” Von Miller said of Kirk Cousins.

The Broncos will travel to Minnesota in Week 11 to face the Vikings and quarterback Kirk Cousins, who outside linebacker Von Miller tried to recruit to Denver in 2018. Cousins instead signed a three-year, $84 million contract with the Vikings and the Broncos signed Case Keenum to a two-year, $36 million deal.

“Kirk Cousins, [I] was trying to get this guy here, had a whole campaign to get this guy here two years ago,” Miller said Thursday. “You know how I feel about him. I think he’s a great quarterback.”

Cousins’ contract with Minnesota is guaranteed and the QB has faced some criticism for his numbers not living up to his contract. Cousins threw 10 interceptions last year and lost seven fumbles. The Vikings finished the season 8-7-1, a disappointment after reaching the NFC Championship game in 2017.

Miller doesn’t think it’s completely fair to judge Cousins based on his contract, though.

“Sometimes you can’t really go off of contracts,” Miller said. “Some of these contracts are off timing and opportunity. In the NFL if it’s right for you, then boom. You can’t really just go off of that, but he’s playing — in my eyes, he’s playing well for their team.”

Cousins is arguably performing at a higher level this year than he was last season. The 31-year-old QB has thrown just three interceptions through 10 games and has helped Minnesota to a 7-3 record. Miller knows Cousins will be a tough test for Denver’s defense on Sunday.

“He’s got their team in contention to go to the playoffs and do some stuff after that,” Miller said. “In my eyes he’s playing great.”

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Broncos nominate Von Miller for 2019 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award

The Broncos have nominated outside linebacker Von Miller for the 2019 Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award.

Each year, every NFL team nominates one of their players for the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award. A panel of four NFL legends then selects eight finalists from those 32 nominees and active players vote for the winner from the finalists on their Pro Bowl ballots.

The Denver Broncos have nominated outside linebacker Von Miller for this year’s award. Miller was also nominated in 2017.

The former players that will choose the finalists are running backs Warrick Dunn and Curtis Martin, safety Leonard Wheeler and linebacker Karl Mecklenburg, who was a key member of the Broncos’ famous “Orange Crush” defense in the 1980s and early ’90s.

“The award is presented each year to an NFL player who best demonstrates the qualities of on-field sportsmanship, including fair play, respect for the game and opponents, and integrity in competition,” the NFL said in a statement.

The winner will be announced during “NFL Honors” on Feb. 1, the evening before Super Bowl LIV. The league will represent $25,000 to the charity of the winner’s choice. Here is the complete list of nominees:

TEAM PLAYER   TEAM PLAYER
Arizona Cardinals C A.Q. Shipley Los Angeles Chargers LB Thomas Davis Sr.
Atlanta Falcons WR Julio Jones Los Angeles Rams S Eric Weddle
Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson Miami Dolphins C Daniel Kilgore
Buffalo Bills LB Lorenzo Alexander Minnesota Vikings DE Danielle Hunter
Carolina Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey New England Patriots WR Matthew Slater
Chicago Bears DB Kyle Fuller New Orleans Saints T Terron Armstead
Cincinnati Bengals DE Sam Hubbard New York Giants DL Dalvin Tomlinson
Cleveland Browns RB Nick Chubb New York Jets DL Steve McLendon
Dallas Cowboys CB Byron Jones Oakland Raiders QB Derek Carr
Denver Broncos LB Von Miller Philadelphia Eagles QB Carson Wentz
Detroit Lions QB Matthew Stafford Pittsburgh Steelers RB James Conner
Green Bay Packers CB Tramon Williams San Francisco 49ers T Joe Staley
Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson Seattle Seahawks LB K.J. Wright
Indianapolis Colts WR T.Y. Hilton Tampa Bay Buccaneers LB Lavonte David
Jacksonville Jaguars DL Calais Campbell Tennessee Titans C Ben Jones
Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes Washington Redskins RB Adrian Peterson

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It’s time to vote your favorite Broncos players to the Pro Bowl

Fan voting for the 2020 NFL Pro Bowl is now open. The polls will close in mid-December.

Fan voting for the 2020 Pro Bowl opened Tuesday.

Fans, coaches and players will each account for one-third of the voting. The AFC and NFC will each be represented by 44 players. Fan voting will conclude on Dec. 12 and the Pro Bowl rosters will be announced on NFL Network on Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 6 p.m. MT.

Fans can vote for their favorite players at NFL.com/ProBowlVote.

The Denver Broncos were represented by three players in last season’s Pro Bowl: outside linebacker Von Miller, long snapper Casey Kreiter and cornerback Chris Harris. Running back Phillip Lindsay was also voted to the All-Star game but could not play due to injury.

Miller totaled two tackles and Harris intercepted a pass in the AFC’s 26-7 win over the NFC in the 2019 Pro Bowl.

Denver’s most deserving player this season might be safety Justin Simmons, who has played 1,582 consecutive snaps and is tied with inside linebacker Todd Davis as the Broncos’ leading tackler (53). Simmons has also broken up nine passes and totaled two interceptions this year.

The Pro Bowl will be played on Sunday, January 26, 2020 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. The game will begin at 1 p.m. MT and will air on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ABC and Disney XD. Tickets start at $45.

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