Since joining the Bills, OLB Von Miller has been a vocal leader inside the locker room and out, unwavering in his support of his new teammates.
Miller has brought intensity to his on-field performance as well as confidence off the field.
Earlier in the week, prior to Sunday’s overtime loss to the Minnesota Vikings, he expressed there was “definitely no panic” when it came to the Bills run defense.
A rocky few outings now have that steadiness in question, as the Bills defense gave up 30 of 50 for 357 yards of passing offense and 147 yards rushing including two TDs on the ground to Minnesota, who had a 17-point road comeback in the contest.
The Vikings would win the game in overtime, after yet another uncharacteristic red zone interception thrown by QB Josh Allen.
Yet Miller remains unfazed.
“It’s definitely not, you know, any panic from me,” Miller said again during his postgame press conference.
The defense did perform well at times albeit inconsistently.
Starting CBs Dane Jackson and Benford both had interceptions and the defensive unit sacked Cousi1ns four times.
“If anything, I like the position we’re in,” he added with a smile. “You want to be tested going into December and the later months”
Miller wasn’t alone, as head Coach Sean McDermott reiterated his confidence while echoing similar sentiment as well for the second week.
The two voiced their belief and trust in the team after last week’s loss to the Jets.
“That’s part of it — you’ve got to hold your confidence throughout the course of the season,” McDermott said to the press. “The league tests you in a lot of ways. The season tests you.”
Fortunately for the Bills defense, a long-time star and NFL veteran like Miller isn’t staring anything down he hasn’t seen before.
“My perspective is a little bit different,” he continued. “I’m 12 years in and I’ve been here before, I was just here last year. Definitely not any panic from me.”
The Bills moved to 6-3 on the season, dropping out of first place in the AFC and AFC East division. They’ll have a chance to get back to their winning ways next Sunday November 11th against the Cleveland Browns.
“We lost, I’m a professional football player and it happens. I think the standard is so high we expect to win every single game, and that’s how it should be,” Miller added.
“I’m excited to see how we respond, we got a locker room full of great character guys, and adversity reveals character.”