During the offseason, Von Miller watched fellow defensive players get large sacks of money, making his $19 million per season look like a bargain.
On Sunday, Miller went out and reminded us he's still a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. The sack master took down Russell Wilson three times, spearheading the Broncos' 27-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.
"When he got the first one, I was like, 'OK, he's something special,'" rookie linebacker Bradley Chubb said of watching Miller, via The Athletic's Nicki Jhabvala. "When he got the second one, I was like, 'OK, he needs to slow down. I need to get one.' And when he got the third one, I was like, 'This is his game and nobody can take that from him.'"
Miller's stat line Sunday was chalk full: seven total tackles, three sacks, four QB hits, three tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. According to the Broncos' official website, the last time Miller posted at least two sacks and two forced fumbles was Super Bowl 50, when he was named MVP.
With Case Keenum leading an up-and-down offensive performance, which included three interceptions, the Broncos needed their defense to step up and put the clamps on Wilson. Miller stood tall.
The QB-wrecker sacked Wilson twice in the span of three plays in the second quarter, one a strip-sack. He then sealed the Broncos' victory with a third late in the fourth. The sack boosted Miller's career total to 86.5, vaulting him past NFL Network's Willie McGinest and into the top 50 all-time. Miller's Houdini-like strip of Seahawks running back Chris Carson might have been his most impressive move of the day.
"I had ole'ed outside, and technically that's not a good move," Miller said smiling when discussing the strip. "You want to be stout, shock and scare. But I ole'ed outside, so I knew I needed to get back down to be able to make the tackle. And the running back, he was running and I just saw the ball and I just grabbed it."
Miller's dominance Sunday reminded us that it's still surprising he's been held out from winning a DPOY award. He won't keep up the 48-sack pace he's currently on (we assume), but Miller's strong start to the season put the league on notice.
