The Buffalo Bills narrowly got past the Detroit Lions in the first NFL Thanksgiving Thursday game, but they’ll be without a marquee player for the next little while.
Star pass rusher Von Miller left the game in the second quarter with a knee injury. He had to be carted off and did not return. Fortunately, the injury does not appear to be season-ending for the 33-year-old.
Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, a knee sprain was “the initial diagnosis” for the injury. Rapoport added that Miller will definitely miss action, though it’s unclear how much. The two-time Super Bowl champion will undergo more tests tomorrow.
Losing Miller long-term is a bad blow for a Buffalo defense that has lost its luster over these last few weeks. The future Hall of Famer leads the team with eight sacks in 11 games, with sophomore Gregory Rousseau behind him with five.
The Bills survived scrappy Lions team and emerged victorious 28-25, thanks to a late field goal by kicker Tyler Bass. With the win, Buffalo improved to 8-3 on the season, placing them half a game up on the Miami Dolphins for first in the AFC East.
After winning his second Super Bowl championship ring with the Los Angeles Rams in February, Miller joined the Bills on a lucrative six-year deal worth $120 million. The ageless wonder has been worth every penny of that contract up to this point, but a long-term absence would seriously jeopardize the Bills’ AFC East hopes and bid for the conference’s first-round bye.
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Miller, an eight-time Pro Bowler, has 123.5 career sacks and 27 forced fumbles. He won his first Super Bowl ring with the Denver Broncos in the 2015 season, earning MVP honors in the big game.
The Bills will now rest for a week before next Thursday’s pivotal road game against the rival New England Patriots.
