ASHBURN, Va. — The last time the Denver Broncos traveled to Washington, the visitors’ locker room at Northwest Stadium (then FedEx Field) became the first stop on a months-long recruitment of Kirk Cousins. The former Washington quarterback tossed three touchdowns in a Christmas Eve win over the Broncos, leaving many Denver players pining for a future with Cousins as their offensive leader.
“A lot of teams would kill to have a quarterback like that,” Von Miller, the Broncos’ star pass rusher, said at the time.
That was eight years ago, Week 16 of the 2017 season, when the Broncos could still taste the glory of Super Bowl 50 but had just begun their search for Peyton Manning’s successor. Miller felt every pang as Denver slogged through five losing seasons and a turnstile of starting quarterbacks before he was fortuitously (if tearfully, at first) placed back on a winning track. He was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in 2021, won his second Super Bowl that season, then signed a nine-figure deal with the Buffalo Bills, with whom he won three division titles.
Miller thought his next stop would be a continuation of the others — joining another star quarterback for another year of winning.
“You just can’t leave Josh Allen and go anywhere, man,” Miller said after arriving in Washington this past summer. “And whenever you get older too, losses, they pile up. It seems like they just hit way harder than what they used to when you were young. And this team is all about winning.”
How quickly things can change in the NFL.
When the Broncos return to Washington on Sunday night, they’ll be trying to extend an eight-game winning streak with one of the league’s leading defenses. Miller, meanwhile, will be trying to help salvage things for the 3-8 Commanders, who have lost six straight and are now on the brink of elimination.
Facing his former team will be awkward, no doubt.
“This is my third time playing them, so it’s not as weird, but it’s still weird,” he said earlier this week. “I hate playing my former teams. … You put so much into it and you form these bonds and you never really think you’re going to leave. This is the place that you fall in love with and then you’re not there anymore. It’s definitely tough, it’s definitely weird.”
Adding to the weirdness: The Broncos are celebrating the 10th anniversary of their Super Bowl 50 win this season. Miller, the Super Bowl MVP that year, is featured on the cover of their media guide.
Miller assures there’s no bitterness toward Denver following his 2021 trade. Rather, he’s a fan of the team and often thinks back to his 11 years there, feeling a part of him is still with Denver.
“I have flashbacks all the time — good times, bad times and tough times,” he said. “I rely on that, that experience that I had all the time. In Buffalo, with Josh Allen, I relied on some of the things that we did (in Denver) with Peyton. I relied on some of the things we did on Denver’s defense when I went to L.A. And going through tough times here, I’ve relied on some of the stuff that helped us get through tough times in Denver. That’s my core. That’s where all my knowledge comes from. Ninety-five percent of the time when I’m saying something, it’s coming from what DeMarcus (Ware) told me, Peyton told me or (Broncos head athletic trainer) Vince Garcia told me.”
Earlier in the offseason, Miller said he spoke with Broncos general manager George Paton about an opportunity to return to Denver. However, it quickly became clear to both sides that it wouldn’t work. Denver is loaded with young, talented pass rushers. At this point in his career, Miller plays a more limited role and doesn’t contribute on special teams.
But what didn’t fit the Broncos seemed to perfectly suit the Commanders, who lacked a marquee pass rusher coming into the season and now need pass-rushing help more than ever. Injuries have decimated Washington’s roster, especially on the defensive line, where it’s lost three defensive ends — Deatrich Wise Jr. (quad), Dorance Armstrong (ACL) and Javontae Jean-Baptiste (pectoral) — for the season.
The loss of Armstrong was especially tough; the Commanders have blitzed at a rate that’s 6.1 percent higher while Armstrong has been out, but have generated a pressure rate that’s 12.2 percent lower and allowed 1.5 more yards per pass attempt, according to Next Gen Stats. Despite missing the last four games, Armstrong still leads the team with 5.5 sacks and is tied with Jacob Martin for the most pressures, at 25.
Miller, however, has filled the role Washington laid out for him on the field: a limited pass rusher who can get home on critical downs. Nearly 62 percent of his QB pressures and three of his five sacks have been on third downs.
Von Miller’s 16th season took him to Madrid, but team success has been hard to find. (Denis Doyle / Getty Images)
Miller, now 36, isn’t the player he was when he earned Super Bowl 50 MVP honors by flying off the line off the scrimmage and getting almost parallel to the ground on his rushes. His get-off time this season isn’t even what it was last season in Buffalo. However, Miller in Year 15 can still do more than most. This season, he’s converted 23.8 percent of his pressures into sacks, his highest rate in seven years, according to Next Gen.
“He’s kind of a designated pass rusher and he’s still got it all in his body,” Broncos offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi told Denver media on Thursday. “He’s someone we’ve got to be aware of and make sure he’s not ruining the game, because he’s still got that ability.”
Miller’s 110.5 sacks as a Bronco set a franchise record, but his sights are set higher. He wants to leave the game ranked well into the NFL’s top 10 in career sacks, a stat that became official in 1982.
At 134.5 sacks, Miller needs 3.5 more to pass Richard Dent and John Randle for 10th on the all-time list, just below former teammate and mentor DeMarcus Ware (138.5).
“He’ll probably say, ‘What took you so long?’” Miller joked about Ware, who reached the top 10 in 12 years in the NFL. “I can’t just be 10. I gotta be like No. 6 to stay in there because you got guys getting five, six sacks a game.”
Miller has already made it clear he wants to play a 16th year in the NFL — at least. He hasn’t put a timetable on his career because that’s not how he operates. Not at this stage in his career. Not after enduring the leaner times in Denver and the recent difficult weeks in Washington.
“At this stage, 15 years, there’s always something to play for,” Miller said. “I want to get as many sacks as possible. I’m playing now … I want to play next year, but I’m here in the present right now. … For me personally, ‘Sunday Night Football’ versus the Denver Broncos, it’ll be a special night for me.”
— Nick Kosmider contributed to this report.
