Bills linebacker Miller to miss rest of season

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. The Buffalo Bills’ hopes of getting 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 expected.

Coach Sean McDermott opened his Wednesday news conference by announcing Miller will miss the rest of the season after surgery to repair damage to his anterior cruciate ligament. McDermott did not go into details except to say the damage was discovered during exploratory surgery in Texas on Tuesday. “Very unfortunate situation for Von obviously and our team,” McDermott said.

Miller was hurt during a Thanksgiving win over the Detroit Lions. His knee bent awkwardly at the same time Lions centre Frank Ragnow stepped on Miller’s right ankle.

The news is a major setback for the AFC-leading Bills, who placed Miller, a two-time Super Bowl champion, on injured reserve last week with the expectation he would be able to return in a month. The Bills have won three straight and host the AFC East rival New York Jets on Sunday.

The Bills made a major splash in March by signing Miller to a sixyear contract in free agency. The 33-year-old Miller is the NFL’s active leader in sacks with 123 1⁄ and

2 leads the team with eight sacks this season.