Von Miller Picks Up Where He Left Off
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (The Sports Xchange) - Von Miller missed the Denver Broncos' entire offseason because of an unsigned franchise tender. Instead of working out with teammates, he worked it on "Dancing With the Stars."
And despite that, he appears better than ever.
Through two weeks, he's made good on his vow to pick up where he left off in a five-sack postseason that ended with a Super Bowl 50 ring and MVP trophy. With four sacks through two games, he is the league leader in that statistic.
And with three sacks of Andrew Luck, including the game-clinching strip that resulted in a Shane Ray touchdown, the chants of "M-V-P! M-V-P!" that echoed through Sports Authority Field at Mile High late in the Broncos' 34-20 win over the Colts on Sunday rang true.
"He most definitely comes through in the clutch," said outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett. "He's the guy I want rushing off the edge on fourth-and-10 and last play of the game. I already know he's going to get it."
Including the playoffs, Miller has nine sacks in his last four games and 10 in his last six.
"That's Von Miller, the most unblockable dude in the game," said running back C.J. Anderson. "99 on Madden, 99 swim move, 99 spin move, 99 across the board for that kid."
And he's been at his best in the biggest moments, particularly recently. His spate of sacks in the last four games has come at the expense of New England's Tom Brady, Carolina's Cam Newton and, finally, Luck, against whom Miller had not recorded a sack in four previous games, including the 2014 preseason.
But the defense corralled the Colts for most of the game. Indianapolis went three-and-out three times and was forced into a pair of giveaways. Just two of Indianapolis' 11 possessions covered more than 26 yards, and the third-down defense showed marked improvement over the previous week against Carolina, when the Panthers gashed them for a completion percentage of 60 percent -- matching the Colts last year for the highest percentage allowed by the Broncos since Wade Phillips returned as defensive coordinator last year.
Stiff challenges lurk in the next three weeks, with the Bengals, Buccaneers and suddenly explosive Falcons on the docket. But if Miller can continue attacking off the edge as he has in recent games, the Broncos should be able to keep winning as they have the last two seasons: with a defense that made yet another game-sealing play in the final moments.
The Broncos travel to Cincinnati for their first road game of the season Sunday. You can see the game at 11 a.m. on CBS4.
