Getty Bills linebacker Von Miller at Highmark Stadium on October 26, 2023.
The Buffalo Bills (5-4) had several opportunities to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals (5-3) on Sunday, but couldn’t capitalize on any of them.
While rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid’s fumble in the red zone was a killer, the game-sealing mistake came from an unexpected source, superstar edge rusher Von Miller.
Miller, who signed a six-year, $120 million contract with the Bills last season, is expected to make crucial plays when the team needs it most. With two minutes left in regulation, the Bills needed to make one stop in order to give quarterback Josh Allen and Co. another shot to win the game.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow handed the ball off to running back Joe Mixon on third-and-four. A wide-open Miller dove to tackle Mixon and missed. Mixon got the first down and the Bills’ 24-18 loss was sealed.
Joe Mixon had to pick up the first down and he did 😤
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Speaking to reporters after the game, “I had to be a little bit wider on that play, but I lunged out at him… Just gotta make that tackle,” Miller said, shaking his head. “Just gotta get back in the lab.”
Miller is still not 100% after suffering an ACL tear on Thanksgiving Day last year, which begs the question as to why he was in the lineup during this make-or-break snap. “I’m still working,” the eight-time Pro Bowler said. “Still trying to get back. This is the best that I’ve felt [all year].”
“Physically, I’m right were I want to be. I’m making strides to do what I want to do and be the player I want to be. There were other plays in the game that I feel like I could’ve done better, too. But that last play, I definitely gotta make that one.”
Having Von Miller in the Lineup During That Final Play ‘Made No Sense’
GettyBills Head coach Sean McDermott at Highmark Stadium on September 17, 2023.
Several analysts scratched their head as to why Bills head coach and defensive coordinator Sean McDermott would insert Miller in the lineup during such a crucial play.
The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia wrote, “The Bills’ decision-making with personnel on that one last gasp to give the offense one final chance made no sense whatsoever.”
“On the first three plays of that defensive series, the Bills had two good run-stuffing defensive ends in the game, with Greg Rousseau lined up at left defensive end, and A.J. Epenesa at right defensive end… They subbed out both for Von Miller and Leonard Floyd.”
“Miller has yet to make much of an impact as a pass rusher, and if he’s not fully trusted as a run defender at this point of his rehab, then why was he in the game at that moment? … The logic behind that personnel move was lacking and removed even the slight chance they could win.”
In four games, Miller has recorded just four pressures. SI reported, “His 8.8-percent pass-rush win rate ranks 79th out of 115 edge rushers with at least 67 snaps rushing the passer.”
Von Miller Is Confident Buffalo Can Turn Things Around
While Miller’s missed tackle ended the game, it’s far from the sole reason the Bills lost. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor was asked what he would’ve done if Mixon failed to convert on third down.
“We were in field goal range at that point. That would have been a field goal there to ice it for us,” Taylor told reporters after the game.
The Bills have already exceeded the amount of losses they had last season. As it stands, Buffalo is out of playoff contention. Miller, always the eternal optimist, is confident they can turn things around.
“We just gotta stay focused. Started off just a tad bit too slow on all three phases,” he said. “We just got to keep going and get back in the lab and see what we did good, see what we did wrong and just keep pushing.”
Next up, the Bills host Miller’s former team, the Denver Broncos, in Week 10.