Orchard Park, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills’ hopes of having Von Miller back in time for the playoffs were dashed after exploratory surgery revealed the injury to the top pass rusher’s right knee was worse than previously anticipated.
Coach Sean McDermott opened his news conference on Wednesday announcing Miller will miss the rest of the season after having surgery to repair damage to his anterior cruciate ligament. McDermott did not go into detail on the extent of the injury except to say the damage was discovered during a previously scheduled exploratory surgery, which was conducted on Tuesday in Texas.
“Very unfortunate situation for Von obviously and our team,” McDermott said. “We care for him obviously, like we would any player. We know how much this means to him in terms of playing and being with the team. … And we’re certainly thinking about him as he recovers here.”
Miller previously revealed the injury was limited to a tear in his lateral meniscus.
Shortly after McDermott’s announcement, Miller posted a video on Twitter in which he filmed from what appeared to be his hospital bed.
“I’m good, man. I’ll be right back. Mentally, I couldn’t be in a better spot,” Miller said, in addressing Bills fans. “Don’t feel sorry for me. Don’t say, ‘I hate it for you.’ None of that stuff because I am good. I’m excited for the opportunity to show my teammates how tough I am, how hard I work,and how important that this means to me, man.”
Miller then closed by saying, “All love and respect” before adding the phrase, “Don’t blink, baby,” which he and Bills receiver Stefon Diggs have repeatedly used during times of adversity this season.
Miller has missed one game since being hurt in the first half of a 28-25 win over Detroit on Thanksgiving.
Miller was hurt while he was pushing his way through the right side of the Lions’ line when his knee bent awkwardly at the same time center Frank Ragnow stepped on Miller’s right ankle.
The news is a major setback for the AFC-leading Bills (9-3), who placed Miller on injured reserve last week with the expectation he would be able to return in a month after initial tests showed no damage to the player’s ACL.
The Bills have won three straight and host their AFC East rival New York Jets (7-5) on Sunday.
The Bills made a major splash in March by upgrading their middling pass rush by signing Miller to a six-year contract in free agency. The 33-year-old Miller is the NFL’s active leader in sacks with 123 1/2 and he leads the Bills with eight sacks this season.
Miller is a two-time Super Bowl champion, who signed with Buffalo a little more than a month after helping the Los Angeles Rams win the title by beating Cincinnati. Miller spent his first 10-plus years in Denver before being traded to Los Angeles last season.
Miller’s impact has been apparent both on the field in upgrading Buffalo’s pass rush, which ranks 14th in sacks per pass, and in a leadership role. Miller was voted a team captain in September.
Miller sustained a similar injury to the same knee in 2013. He also missed the entire 2020 season with an ankle injury.
49ers not optimistic about possible Garoppolo return
Santa Clara, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers are not counting on getting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo back for a possible playoff run even after getting the favorable news that he wouldn’t require surgery on his broken left foot.
“There’s that way outside chance late in the playoffs or something like that,” coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday. “But it’s just an outside chance. I’m not really real optimistic about that. But they didn’t rule it out.”
Garoppolo broke his foot in the first quarter on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins and the original fear was that he had a Lisfranc injury that would require surgery and could sideline him for several months.
Additional tests ruled that out and revealed no ligament damage, making the timeline for Garoppolo to heal about seven to eight weeks.
While that would have him healed by the second or third weekend of the playoffs, Shanahan said it would take longer until he was ready to play quarterback again.
“I know it’s a serious injury that will likely keep him out for the year,” he said. “It’s really good news that there’s no ligament damage or anything so he’ll be fine once the broken bone heals.”
Garoppolo’s teammates were pleased to hear the injury wasn’t as serious and that Garoppolo would not have to undergo another offseason of rehab like he did in 2019 following knee surgery and this past year after shoulder surgery.
But they aren’t counting on having Garoppolo back under center in the postseason
“More so than anything. I’m happy for Jimmy,” linebacker Fred Warner said. “That’s a huge difference in terms of recovery time and rehab for him. … The fact that he doesn’t have to go through that is big time for him. I’m also concerned about him more than anything. There’s no rush for him. I’m happy for him.”
The first-place Niners (8-4) are forging ahead with seventh-round rookie Brock Purdy at quarterback.
Personnel dept.
… Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence felt a sense of relief as tests revealed no significant damage and just a sprained toe on his left foot, an injury Lawrence and coach Doug Pederson expect will allow the quarterback to return to practice later in the week and probably play at Tennessee on Sunday.
Lawrence wore a protective shoe on his foot in the locker room and around the facility Wednesday. Pain and swelling subsided enough that he was able to put on sneakers and join teammates on the field for part of practice. He listened and watched from the sideline as backup C.J Beathard directed the offense.
… The Cleveland Browns signed veteran Reggie Ragland from Las Vegas’ practice squad on Wednesday, a move necessitated by losing Sione Takitaki for the season with a knee injury sustained last weekend in a win over Houston.
Takitaki was placed on injured reserve. He is the third starting middle linebacker to suffer a season-ending injury, following Anthony Walker Jr. and Jacob Phillips.
… New York Jets rookie offensive tackle Max Mitchell was placed on the non-football injury list Wednesday and will miss the rest of the season. Coach Robert Saleh declined to provide details on Mitchell’s situation as the Jets began practice preparations for their game Sunday against the AFC East-rival Buffalo Bills.
Mitchell was a fourth-round pick out of Louisiana in April and started the first four games at right tackle. He injured a knee in Week 4 at Pittsburgh and was placed on injured reserve. He was activated two weeks ago and played seven snaps on special teams against Chicago before getting the start last Sunday at Minnesota.
But Mitchell played just 25 snaps on offense before being benched in favor of George Fant, who’ll be the starter at right tackle moving forward. Saleh said veteran Mike Remmers will serve as Fant’s primary backup.