Von Miller—Late Career Slide?

 By John Turney 

Von Miller

Statistics usually don't tell the whole story, especially in football. Many times a player might have statistics that are not the norm for him, but there are reasonable explanations for it. In terms of a pass rusher, he might be getting extra blocking, or the offense running plays to help neutralize a player's skills.

However, with Von Miller, it seems his statistics as of late are telling the story. And it is backed up by watching him play, the old 'eye test,' as it were. The story is he's one of those players who is having a late-career slide.

In his years in Denver, and even the half-year in Los Angeles, he was as good a 3-4 OLB as there ever was not named Lawrence Taylor. He was a joy to watch; his speed his "ghost move", a move Miller where he would show the long-arm or stab first, drawing the tackle into a punch or an early set, then drop underneath the hands and vanish around the corner. The "now you see me, now you don’t" line he used while demonstrating it, plus the specific combination of fake and dip, is the version that caught on around the NFL, the move he is the father of.

But that was then. This is now. Today, the once super-elite edge rusher is average, if that, if the last two games as a Dallas Cowboy are any indication. However, and this is key, that is so far. There are fifteen games left and who knows; he may end up with a double-digit sack total and the Cowboys get into the playoffs and Miller is part of a defense that can help make a run for a title. 

That he's done before, once with the Broncos and once with the Rams. 

This is a guy who Pro Football Focus (PFF)  graded with an average grade of just under 90 from 2011 through 2022 when he was a starting All-Pro and about 67 since, when he's been a designated pass rusher.

Again, breaking down PFF and also Football Outsiders (FO) independent totals of QB pressures (combination of sacks, hits and hurries), the numbers tell the story

2011–2022 (11 seasons, excluding 2020 missed year)

PFF  average: 68

FO  average: 53

2023–2026 (3 full seasons)

PFF  average: 31

FO  average: 31

However, let's be fair: Miller is 37 and was always a speed/technique rusher. He was a guy who was timed in the 4.5 forty range and looked like it on the field. In his early days, he was more than a pass rusher. With defensive schemes of coaches like Wade Phillips and Vic Fangio, he would be asked to cover a back or the flat. With Phillips, it might be calls like "Will Wink" or "Sam Sink" that would send four of the 5-man line (three defensive interior players and two edges) after the quarterback and either the Sam backer or Will backer would drop. 

The same was true of the Fangio scheme; the edge players would have to drop sometimes, the flat or as a "bonus hook" player, and Miller was good at it. Some guys are just "there," and others can cover, be more than just there. Miller could cover, especially early in his career.

Given his age and performance, he likely won't get a dozen sacks like a 37-year-old Kevin Greene did in 1999, but he might get a handful in a season like James Harrison or Clay Matthews Sr. did in their late 30s. It's possible, at least. But does that help or hurt his legacy?

When does his production get to the point of being like Willie Mays in 1972-73 with the Mets or Hank Aaron with the Brewers in 1975-76, or a Johnny Unitas in 1973? When is he just is not himself and it starts to hurt your heart to see one of the best ever do it, being a shell of himself. 

To his credit, he came back from an injury plague in the 2023 season to be productive the last two years, but even then, watching him, it was not the same. Hopefully, this year will be more like 2024 and 2025 than 2023, but the film, SO FAR, isn't showing that. Obviously, things can change in the next span of games.

Of course, Miller is going to get a Gold Jacket, likely five years after he retires, but it will be based on the six All-Pro seasons in the first half of his career, around 140 career sacks, and his two rings that were aided by his 16 career playoff games (when his teams went 11-5) and when he recorded 10.5 sacks, 49 tackles, three forced fumbles ... including 4.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in Super Bowls alone.

 

Let's just hope the current version is not what is left in voters' minds, or they might ding him a year. Let's hope not, but that is a discussion for another day. 

Career stats and honors—

TUESDAY TIDBITS: "Whatever You do John, Don't Throw the Ball"

By TJ Troup

The 2026 season is off to a roaring start with so many storylines! Ok, folks what game so far surprised you the most? Which game this coming weekend stands out to you?

This coming Sunday the 27th is one of those days that truly stands out for all of you BALTIMORE Colts fans. The opening day game in '53 is of course the Bert Reich's once-in-a-lifetime performance, yet I want to highlight the '64 game of the Bears going to Memorial Stadium.

The Colts from 1955 through 1960 had won nine of twelve from the Bears and lost only once in Memorial Stadium. Then the Bears win six straight against the Colts.

During a stretch during the Bears 1963 Championship season the George Allen defense allowed just 31 points over the course of 23 quarters. The Unitas led Colts score 24 points in the first half, 28 in the 2nd in the demolition of Chicago. Everyone contributed for the Colts that afternoon.

Many times have mentioned Mr. Steve Sabol and we all know his creativity was the focal point at NFL Films. Really believe that the "America's Game" series was his best. For those of you that have never watched the 1970 BALTIMORE Colts, do yourself a favor and watch.

While Curry, Smith, and Curtis are insightful and entertaining in there comments want to pay a quick tribute to Mr. Ernie Accorsi. He is in his first year as PR director, and his commentary is a key component to why this chapter is so fun to watch.

Baltimore has a 1-1 record and are struggling against a woeful Patriot team, as they lead 7-6 in the 4th quarter. Head Coach Don McCafferty joined the staff in 1959 and developed a strong working/coaching relationship with John Unitas. The title of today's column comes from Accorsi, as McCafferty tells John to be conservative. Unitas's play-action touchdown pass to Roy Jefferson for 55 yards puts the game out of reach. Though they struggled with many a close game, this Colt team hoisted the Silver Trophy. Accorsi worked for a handful of teams during his long career, many of those teams had success. RIP Ernie!

Finally, am going to shift gears to go to the horsehide game. Two years ago the White Sox won 41 games and would rank with the worst teams in baseball history. This year has been "magical" for them and with six games remaining the Pale Hose can earn a playoff berth.

Fielder Jones
colorization by PFJ

Today is the 130th anniversary of Fielder Jones of the Sox hitting his 2nd home run of the season for the soon-to-be champions. Why is his home run significant you ask? Well, he now has tied Billy Sullivan for the team lead in home runs. The White Sox hit seven home runs all season; no that is not a misprint----SEVEN! There are teams in this era that hit seven in a week. See ya next week.

No Six-Pack for Green Bay in New York

By Eric Goska

Lukas Van Ness led Green Bay with nine combined tackles
including stuffing Jets running back Braelon Allen on
fourth down late in the fourth quarter.
(photos by Eric Goska)

Like winning, losing can become habitual.

Fortunately for Cheeseheads everywhere, the Packers kicked the habit in the Big Apple Sunday with a 20-17 overtime win against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium.

Green Bay entered the matchup riding a five-game losing streak (regular-season only). Had it faltered, the team from Wisconsin would have dropped more than a sixth straight game; it would have seen one of the longest streaks in NFL history come to an inglorious end.

Six straight losses. That’s a snootful. No coach or player wants to go there.

But for three quarters, that’s the direction in which the Packers were trending. Whether penalties (14 for 133 yards), fumbles (five with one lost) or third-down efficiency (1 for 9 for 11%), Green Bay appeared destined to start the 2026 season 0-2.

That outcome appeared even more inevitable after Jason Sanders booted a 32-yard field goal to put New York up 17-7 with 11 minutes, four seconds left in the fourth quarter. For the Packers, engineering a comeback under those conditions had become a distant memory.

In dropping five straight prior to Sunday, the Packers had all but ceded the final 15 minutes to the opposition. The Broncos, Bears, Ravens and Vikings (twice) had outgained them 479 yards to 267 and had outpointed them 65 to 9.

Why should the Jets not follow suit?

Simply put, New York ran up against a Green Bay defense that, having played well throughout, took control. The unit gave up 41 yards on 18 plays (2.28 average) in the fourth quarter and overtime. More importantly, Lukas Van Ness and Co. did not allow a third- or fourth-down conversion during that stretch.

That late-game chokehold is even more impressive given the length of time Green Bay’s defense spent on the field. The Jets ran 22 more offensive plays than did the Packers (72 to 50) and had the ball for almost 11 additional minutes (37:40 to 26:57).

But Green Bay’s defense didn’t wilt, and the Green and Gold now have their first win since Dec. 7, 2025. Further, the team extended its all-time NFL record of 565 consecutive regular-season games without a six-game losing streak.

Wideout Matthew Golden caught four
passes for 58 yards for Green Bay.

Owning that record is a testament to how well the team has played over these past three-and-a-half decades: 27 winning seasons, 25 playoff appearances and two Super Bowl wins. It’s a resume most teams would love to have.

No more so than Arizona or Cleveland. The Cardinals have endured 14 six-game losing streaks during Green Bay’s run of avoidance and the Browns 15. One of Arizona’s and four of Cleveland’s flings with futility stretched into double digits.

That just doesn’t happen in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Some may not remember the last time the Packers lost six or more regular-season games in a row. George H.W. Bush (the first Bush) was president. The price of gas was just over a dollar a gallon. Social media as we know it today did not exist.

Green Bay, under head coach Lindy Infante, closed out the 1990 season with consecutive losses to Minnesota (7-23), Seattle (14-20), Philadelphia (0-31), Detroit (17-24) and Denver (13-22). In opening the 1991 campaign, the team fell to the Eagles (3-20) and Lions (14-23) before squeaking past the Buccaneers 15-13 to end a seven-game skid.

In the time since, the Packers have suffered through three five-game losing streaks. In addition to the one they just ended, the Green and Gold bungled five straight in 2008 (games 11-15) and 2022 (games 5-9).

But that’s all in the past. Having dispatched the Jets, Green Bay has again put winning on the table. Packers fans can only hope victory becomes habit and not a one-time affair.

Six Pack Avoidance
Most consecutive games between losing streaks of six or more games (regular season only).

No.      Team                  Years                 Record During Streak
565       Packers             1991-2026              348-214-3 (.619)
553       Dolphins          1967-2003              345-204-4 (.627)

488       Patriots            1993-2024              325-163-0 (.666)
480       Bears                1929-1968              302-155-23 (.653)
424       Steelers            1999-2026              267-154-3 (.633)

TUESDAY TIDBITS: "Run to Daylight"

By TJ Troup 

The first week of the season in the books, and boy, oh boy, was there a lot to savor from the games, yet some teams' performances have raised questions. Those questions will be answered in due time. 

Ok, folks please share which game stood out to you and why? For the upcoming week, which game will have you get out the smokehouse almonds & Dr. Pepper? Oh, not all of you have those treats on your coffee table? Watching the Bills win at Houston in a game that saw many lead changes kept my attention till the final gun. As usual will go back in history to hopefully enlighten/entertain all of you with teams or games in the past that take us to the league this year. 

The 1954 Champion Cleveland Browns allowed just 34 points over the course of 25 quarters late in the season. This past Sunday in Jacksonville, the Browns defense allowed 34 points in the first half in a loss that begs the question: how bad is this team going to be? 

Making a prediction, this Browns team will not play for the silver trophy in February! When time permits, hopefully you will read Eric Goska's outstanding article on the Packers loss in Minnesota, and my segue to Green Bay's opening day loss to Detroit in 1970. 

The Packers getting beat in a dominating shut-out victory by division rival Detroit was embarrassing enough, but in the Lions highlight film for the '70 season, Van Patrick stated that the Lions "ran to daylight"! Seem to recall a Packer coach that used that phrase in a book he wrote with W.C. Heinz in '63? 

The merger will allow the best second-place team from each conference to earn a playoff berth, known as the "wild card". The Lions, who closed with a rush (6-1-1) to end the '69 season open in Green Bay and for the first time in thirty-six years, shut out the Packers 40-0! 

Altie Taylor

Detroit gains its fifth-most rushing yards in a game (at this point in team history) with 266. Mel Farr and Altie Taylor combine to gain 144 yards on 33 carries. Larcenous left corner Lem Barney, who has intercepted 18 passes in his last 29 games, returns an interception 40 yards for a touchdown in the 3rd quarter to seal the game. Detroit limits the Packers to just 114 total yards for the game (their best mark of the season). After a 5-4 start, the Lions again close like gangbusters to finish 10-4 and earn the NFC wild-card berth.

Meltdown in Minneapolis

By Eric Goska

Trey Smack kicked three field goals in Minnesota.
He could have had a fourth.
(photos by Eric Goska)

Next time, perhaps, Matt LaFleur might side with his placekicker and not his defense.

With the fourth quarter not yet two minutes old, the Packers head coach took a field goal off the board believing he could get a bigger payout against the Vikings. The decision backfired spectacularly as not only did Green Bay come up empty, but Minnesota dialed up 22 unanswered points, more than enough to bounce its division rival 39-22 in the season opener for both teams.

Implosions such as the one at U.S. Bank Stadium are as rare as they are alarming. Unfortunately for the Green and Gold, these late-game failures have become too familiar. Think Packers-Bears rivalry circa 2025.

This latest collapse broke new ground. LaFleur’s desire to hold Minnesota to the fire added fuel to a Vikings’ team eager to break out after having trailed for most of the game.

Said inflection point arrived early in the fourth quarter. With his team up 22-17, LaFleur opted to take a five-yard penalty (Minnesota’s Dallas Turner had been offside) rather than stick with a 40-yard field goal by rookie Trey Smack. That decision left Green Bay with a fourth-and-one at the Vikings 17-yard line, an assignment bungled when Jordan Love failed to gain on a quarterback sneak.

While understandably stoked by the stop, the Vikings were assured of nothing. To that point they had gained 168 yards in 45 plays (3.7 average) with the majority of their snaps (25) bringing fewer than four yards.

Packers head coach
Matt LaFleur in 2025

Not to worry. Aided by a Packers defense beset by penalty—and an officiating crew only too happy to help—Minnesota could not help but prevail.

Three times did Minnesota quarterback Carson Wentz face third down. Three times was his unit stopped. Three times did a flag fly with the promise of a first down.

Three penalties. In the fourth quarter. On the same drive. Each moving the chains.

How often had that happened to the Green and Gold over the years?

Six times since 1937. Six times in the team’s last one thousand, two hundred, seventy-eight regular-season games.

But until Sunday, never had all three infractions come on third down.

For six-and-a-half minutes, as Wentz marshaled the Vikings goalward, yellow flags flew. A 10-yard sack (Edgerrin Cooper and Devonte Wyatt) wiped out by an illegal contact penalty on Javon Bullard. A Wentz incompletion was negated by a roughing the passer infraction on Chris McClellan. Evan Williams’ end zone interception erased by Xavier McKinney’s defensive holding.

Green Bay could not get off the field.

Aaron Jones finally capped the affair with a 3-yard run that put Minnesota ahead for good (25-22) with 6 minutes, 37 seconds remaining. Toss in Jonathan Ford’s encroachment infraction at the outset of the advance and the Packers gifted 28 of the 83 yards the Vikings needed to reach paydirt.

Green Bay’s lead, good for more than 50 minutes, was toast.

Christian Watson led all receivers
with 147 receiving yards.

Possessing a five-point lead after three quarters as the Packers did in Minnesota usually spells victory. Green Bay is 574-38-6 (.934) in the regular season in such games.

Until this debacle, Curly Lambeau (161-5-2) had lost most often when afforded a 5-point cushion after 45 minutes of play. LaFleur now joins him (53-5) courtesy of his ill-advised gambit.

Eight seasons deep into his Green Bay run, LaFleur coached his 118th regular-season game in Minneapolis. His teams have surrendered at least one first down by penalty in 98 of those contests (83 percent).

That’s the highest percentage of any head coach who lasted a full season or more in Green Bay. Ray Rhodes (81.3) and Mike McCarthy (80.4) are second and third, respectively.

Of course, there is no way to know if the Packers would have won had LaFleur opted to stick with Smack’s fourth-quarter field goal. But had it counted, Smack would have joined Chester Marcol (1972) as the only players to have kicked four field goals in their first game with Green Bay.

Fourth Quarter Fizzles
The six regular-season games in which the Packers were outscored by more than 21 points in the fourth quarter.

Pts.   Date                  Opponent   Location                                         Result
31      Sept. 13, 1981      Falcons          Lambeau Field                              GB lost, 17-31
27      Nov. 5, 1950        Colts               Memorial Stadium                      GB lost, 21-41
24      Oct. 12, 1952       Rams              Marquette Stadium                     GB lost, 28-30
24      Oct. 18, 1959       Rams              Milwaukee County Stadium      GB lost, 6-45
24      Dec. 2, 1979         Redskins       RFK Stadium                                GB lost, 21-38
22      Sept. 13, 2026    Vikings           U.S. Bank Stadium                      GB lost, 22-39

People Needed to Wait and See: Myles Garrett Injured Knee On Way to Being One-half of Greatest Defensive Duo Ever

 By John Turney 

A couple of weeks ago, we opined that it might be better to wait and see what the "duo" of Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald do on the field before they are crowned the greatest-ever duo, whatever that is defined to be.

Last Thursday we saw why. Donald did not make the trip to Australia, and Garrett had been nursing a knee/leg issue and was non-existent in the game versus the 49ers, which they lost handily. Now, Garrett will miss at least a month while he goes under the knife.

It's a good object lesson that people cannot predict the future. Projecting the Donald/Garrett duo as one of the "best ever" based on their past number of NFL DPOY awards was a fool's errand.

Again: Wait and see. Be entertained with what happens, not with what you think MIGHT happen. Sure, that can be fun, picking games or picking Super Bowl winners, but it will never, ever be exact enough to crown all-time greats before they play a down together.

So, message to @NFL, the NFL's X account: it's not your fault; it's just a risky parlor game you're playing. But we also acknowledge you're trying to engage social media users, so it's not all that serious one way or another. It was all in good fun. 

Oh, and we suppose the other social media post predicting Rams would break the single-season sack record will be cautious next time, as well. Even if healthy, that was a reach, too. A big one.

TUESDAY TIDBITS: "Faulkner would trade his entire coaching staff for Sestak"

By TJ Troup 

Tomorrow night the season begins, and no doubt a joyful time for so many across this great red, white, and blue Nation. 

My first question to all of you: which game is the most compelling? When you are a fan of a team, you most likely will watch your team play and maybe check out a couple of the other games. Minnesota and Green Bay have forged a nasty rivalry, and since my favorite rivalry is the Niners vs. the Rams will be watching or paying attention to updates on the games. 

The well-coached Houston Texans easily won their wild card game, then lost. The Buffalo Bills won their wild card game, then lost a heartbreaker to Denver. Buffalo travels to Texas to take on Houston and for me this game is the most compelling. 

Tom Sestak

Additionally, the Buffalo Bills have had a couple of dandy games on Sunday, September 13th in their history. After losing to the Boston Patriots in the '63 playoffs, the expectations for the Bills in '64 at the Rockpile were gonna be fun/rewarding! A crowd of 30,157 saw their team score 31 points in the 1st quarter in demolishing the Chiefs. Leading 24-0 with just a couple of minutes left in the half, Tom Sestak "read the set-up and smelled a screen pass, so I drifted over to the right". 

Big Ses returned the interception 15 yards for the touchdown. Denver assistant coach Red Miller scouted the game and commented with the title for this week's column. Though the Chiefs answered with 17 points, was not near enough in the Buffalo 34-17 victory. Many of the Bills players had rock-solid games, yet the game belonged to "Big Ses" as he also pillaged the Kansas City pass pocket to record multiple sacks and recovered a fumble. 

How many defensive tackles in league history have recorded a sack, a fumble recovery and an interception in a game? For those of you who don't remember '64 (I do), that Bills team was a juggernaut and won their first Championship. 

Now, let's turn the page to 1992. By far the #1 question for the Bills was: could they return to the AFC title game for the third consecutive season? Buffalo will be at San Francisco for the September 13th game against a 49er team that has everything you want in a team. Buffalo gains 598 yards in total offense in their "K-gun" offense as Jim Kelly becomes the first Bills QB to throw for over 400 yards in a game. Since Steve Young shreds the Bills secondary for 447 yards, we have, for the just the third time in history, two quarterbacks gaining over 400 yards in passing in the same game. 

San Francisco leads at the half 24-17, but the Bills will not be denied as Thurman Thomas dashes 11 yards for the winning score. The 1,086 yards gained by both teams is the fourth most total yards gained in a game through 1992, yet what still stands out to me the most. NEITHER team punted! 

Will we see that this weekend? 

Enjoy the games, see ya next week.