The
Buffalo Bills will be without star pass rusher Von Miller for the foreseeable future.
Miller, 33, has been put on injured reserve by the Bills ahead of the team's Thursday night game against the New England Patriots as a result of what he described as "lateral meniscus damage" suffered in Buffalo's Thanksgiving win over the Detroit Lions.
He'll miss a minimum of the next four weeks, putting him in line to return during the last week of the regular season, just ahead of the Bills' playoff run.
The news comes
just days after Miller said he'd "play through" the injury and was "hopeful" he could return for Buffalo's Week 14 contest with the New York Jets, some 10 days away. It's a big loss for the Bills defense, as Miller is the team's leader in sacks (eight) and ranks second in tackles for loss (10).
Bills general manager Brandon Beane
released a statement regarding Miller's placement on injured reserve:
“We’ve been assessing Von this week and seeing how he is, and we don’t want to rush him back," Beane said. "This gives us a chance to go ahead and count tonight’s game and three more on injured reserve. And hopefully we can get him back for the stretch run.”
Miller
will need surgery on his knee at some point - the question is whether it comes now or after the season. With Buffalo's intent on having the eight-time Pro Bowler back in the fold for the postseason, that suggests the latter ... but still remains to be seen.
The Bills, without Miller, will look to win the AFC East for the third consecutive season, starting against the Patriots under the lights in Foxboro, with kickoff set for 8:15 p.m.
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