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01	Februar 2019

Von Miller concurs with his coaches that he needs to make more plays

Limited Andre Tippett Jersey , not that he needs to play more.The Broncos (2-2) haven't had a takeaway since the season opener, and the fulcrum of Denver's defense said the solution is simple: "I've got to get some sacks."Miller said if he can get to the quarterback like he did in the opener, when he dumped Russell Wilson three times, he can either force a fumble or a bad throw."I've got to play better. I've got to do better," Miller said. "... We've got some big-time games coming up and I've got to be big in those."Miller, who leads the Broncos into the Meadowlands to face the Jets (1-3) on Sunday, has seen his playing time dip by about 10 percent this season.He's missed more than a quarter of Denver's defensive snaps as his coaches aim to rotate Miller and rookie Bradley Chubb, the fifth overall pick in the 2018 draft, with Shaq Barrett and former first-round pick Shane Ray."If you want me to, I can play the whole game," cracked Miller, who has only done that twice in his eight-year career, against Cincinnati last season and at New Orleans the year before."I mean, it's just different this year . It's not me and DeMarcus (Ware) and the no-game guys behind us anymore," Miller said. "It's not like that. We've got big-time players between me, Chubb, Shaq and Shane."It's just tough. You have to find ways to get Shaq and Shane in there. I have to find ways to get on the field during crunch time and in the clutch, which I am in there, usually."Miller said this formula will keep all four pass rushers fresh and fit for the long haul."We just have a special situation here. We've got four great pass rushers and it would be a total injustice to have Shaq and Shane on the bench," Miller said.Miller has played 74.2 percent of the snaps this season. That's a significant drop from the 84.2 percent clip he's played over his previous six seasons (not counting the games he missed in 2013), and at that rate, would work out to the lowest percentage of his career.It wouldn't be too far from the 76.2 percent of snaps Miller played in 2015 when he led the Broncos to a Super Bowl win, however. That year, he was at his best in the playoffs, pulverizing Tom Brady in the AFC championship and Cam Newton in the Super Bowl.Miller's highest percentage of plays came in 2013 after he returned from a six-game suspension to start the season and logged 92.6 percent of the snaps before a knee injury sidelined him and forced him to miss that year's Super Bowl.Miller's heavy workload and weight gain that year may have contributed to his injury Irving Fryar Jersey Salute to Service , and both his physique and playing time have slimmed down since.He's averaged 880 snaps a year since his knee injury in 2013 after logging a career-high 962 snaps the year before he got hurt. He's on pace for 808 snaps this season.Statistically speaking, Miller has been quiet since racking up four sacks in the first two weeks of the season."It's a tough league and the sacks, they definitely come in bunches," Miller said. "I mean, I started the season off with three sacks and I'm like, 'Man, I'm going to get 45 sacks this season. It's going to be easy. And next game, I get two sacks and get one taken away and I'm like, 'Man, that would have been five sacks in two games."He's been held without a sack the last two weeks, both losses, including a 27-23 heartbreaker against Kansas City on Monday night in which Miller had just one tackle and couldn't bring down Patrick Mahomes, who switched the football to his left hand , then shot-putted it to Tyreek Hill with Miller dragging him down for a key first down on the Chiefs' game-winning drive .This week, Broncos coach Vance Joseph called out his coaching staff and his star players � although not by name � to do better after Denver cratered in crunch time against Kansas City."There weren't enough sacks on the quarterback," Joseph said. "We made maybe two plays on the ball the entire night. We need more. We need more from our main guys on both sides of the ball."When those comments were relayed to him, Miller showed he's not overly stressed about his sack slowdown."I mean, in my heart I feel like, you know, my mom always told me since I was a little boy that I was her star," Miller said. "And I just try to go out there and be the best player I possibly can be." The New England Patriots might be playing their most interesting game of the season on Sunday night.The Pats will be welcoming the undefeated, red hot Kansas City Chiefs to Gillette Stadium, and they will attempt to figure out a way to slow down Patrick Mahomes and the seemingly unstoppable Kansas City offense. As of right now, the 5-0 Chiefs are the best team in the AFC, and Mahomes already looks like a superstar.Luckily for the Patriots John Hannah Jersey , they are fresh off of two home victories against the Dolphins and the Colts, and they�ve got plenty of momentum heading into Sunday night�s game. But one thing is for sure: this game will tell us a lot about who owns the AFC. If the Patriots can find a way to win this game, it will show that they are still the team to beat in this conference. If the Chiefs win, it might serve as a ceremonial passing of the torch.There�s no doubt that this will be the most must-see game of Week 6, so don�t miss it under any circumstances. With that being said, let�s breeze through some picks for the rest of the Week 6 slate鈥?Home teams in caps, and lines courtesy of OddsShark.com)Cardinals (+10) over VIKINGSI�m definitely going to regret this pick, but 10 points is a pretty big spread, the Vikings have been a disappointment so far this season (they�ve yet to win back-to-back games), and the previously dreadful Cardinals seem to be slightly better with Josh Rosen at quarterback over Sam Bradford. After all, Rosen did finally get them a win last week at San Francisco. I�m taking the underdog to cover.Bills (+10) over TEXANSOnce again, I�m grabbing the underdog and I�m going to regret it. This Bills team is confusing; they definitely aren�t good, but they�ve somehow managed to pull off wins in two of their last three games. Does that make sense?Meanwhile, the Texans have underachieved big time (2-3 with their two wins coming overtime against sub .500 teams). Taking a loss, or at least an overtime win, over Buffalo this week would fit right into this weird season of theirs. Panthers (+1) over REDSKINSOh, look at this. I�m picking a road underdog for the third time in a row. But seriously, don�t be fooled because the Redskins are favored by a point. The Panthers are a couple of rungs above of the Redskins on the NFC ladder, due in large part to having the No. 1 ranked rushing attack in the league at 154 yards per game.That�s because they don�t only have a top tier running back in Christian McCaffery, but Cam Newton is also one of the best rushing quarterbacks in the league, even for a big guy. Panthers are taking this one.Bears (-3.5) over DOLPHINSAfter starting the season at 3-0, the Dolphins were brought back to earth in Week 4 by the Patriots, and they stayed on earth against the Bengals in Week 5. Now in Week 6, they are about to actually get hammered into the earth by that nasty Chicago Bears defense, which is currently second in the league with 18 sacks and 11 forced turnovers.JETS (-2.5) over ColtsRolling with the Jets here for two reasons: they are at home Authentic Tedy Bruschi Jersey , and the Colts do not feature one of the NFL�s premier defensive units. Indy is allowing 27.6 points per game.BROWNS (+1) over ChargersHere is something completely and totally crazy to think about: If it wasn�t for just a couple of small plays going a little differently here and there, the Browns could easily be 5-0 right now. Cleveland obviously isn�t winning any Super Bowls this year, but Baker Mayfield is changing the football culture in this city. The time is now to jump on the bandwagon.Steelers (+2) over BENGALSCincy is 4-1, but most of their games this year could�ve gone either way. Pittsburgh is finally starting to get things together after a slow start, and a good portion of that is due to the talents of running back James Conner. Against the Falcons last week, Conner rushed for 110 yards and racked up 75 receiving yards. He�s helping to keep the Steelers afloat. Meanwhile, I will take Big Ben over Andy Dalton all day, every day.Seahawks (-2.5) over RAIDERSBefore this season, I had faith in Jon Gruden 鈥?for some odd reason that I still can�t figure out. He has turned this Raiders team into an absolute joke. I really shouldn�t be surprised.Oh, and this is also one of those ridiculous international games. London deserves to get Jon Gruden�s team for thinking they should be able to host NFL games.Buccaneers (+3) over FALCONSThe 1-4 Falcons are a mess, and Jameis Winston is back for Tampa Bay. Perfect opportunity to grab the underdog 鈥?because I haven�t already done that enough this week.Rams (-7) over BRONCOSRams, baby. All day, every day.Also, at least one Robert Woods touchdown could potentially help my fantasy team get to 6-0, if Los Angeles needs a little extra motivation.Ravens (-2.5) over TITANSThis probably the most evenly-matched game this week. I�ll go with Baltimore here, just because Joe Flacco is currently on pace for almost 5,000 passing yards this year. He�s doing his best to protect his job from Lamar Jackson.Jaguars (-3) over COWBOYSYou know the Cowboys are in trouble when Ezekiel Elliott is responsible for 41 percent of their offensive production. The kid is obviously very good, but he can�t make this team win on his own.Chiefs (+3.5) over PATRIOTSDon�t miss the game of the week on Sunday Night Football. Bill Belichick is obviously the greatest defensive coach in the history of football, but he�s going to have to cook up something pretty spectacular if he�s going to slow down this juggernaut Chiefs offense.49ers (+9.5) over PACKERSI might be nuts, but 9.5 points seems like a lot for a 2-2-1 Green Bay team. If it wasn�t for Aaron Rodgers, the Packers would probably be 0-5. For the second year in a row, Green Bay might not even be a playoff team.