After Von Miller helped the Los Angeles Rams to a Super Bowl last season, the Buffalo Bills hoped the star linebacker could do the same for them in 2022. Unfortunately for the Bills, that won’t be the case, as Miller was ruled out for the rest of the campaign due after undergoing an ACL surgery.
Miller went down with a knee injury during Thanksgiving’s game vs. the Detroit Lions. It was initially believed that the 33-year-old plater would have a swift return on the field, but the injury turned out to be much worse than expected.
“Unfortunate situation, for Von, obviously, and our team. Care for him, obviously, like we would any player,” said Bills’ head coach Sean McDermott told reporters on Wednesday.
“If everything goes well during the rehab process, we think we’ll have Von Miller back for most of 2023,” Buffalo’s general manager Brandon Beane added.
This will be a tough blow for the Bills and their Super Bowl aspirations. Before going down with the injury, Miller started every game in 2022 and was arguably the team’s best defensive player. He tallied 8.0 sacks while adding 21 tackles, 12 QB hits, and one forced fumble.
The Bills now hope their young players will step up and fill the void left by Miller’s injury. The obvious candidates are the 2021 first-round pick Greg Rousseau and second-year defensive end Carlos Basham.
Buffalo is currently first in AFC East with a 9-3 record. Their next game will come against the division rivals New York Jets this upcoming Sunday.
