Bills vs. Jets NFL Week 1 odds: Von Miller ruled out in big break for Aaron Rodgers in NY debut
Aaron Rodgers will make his highly anticipated New York Jets regular-season debut in the first Monday night game of the 2023 season on Sept. 11 from MetLife Stadium in New Jersey against Buffalo. Rodgers already will catch one huge break in that Bills pass-rusher and future Hall of Famer Von Miller will miss at least the first four games on the PUP list. Buffalo remains -2.5 for the opener with a total of 46.5 points and no books have shifted their numbers yet despite this rather big news.
Miller, a member of the NFL’s 2010s All-Decade team, a seven-time All-Pro, former Defensive Rookie of the Year and MVP of Super Bowl 50, tore his ACL on Thanksgiving last year in Detroit – although at the time, the Bills didn’t think it was serious and that he would return at some point last season. He didn’t. Would Buffalo still have lost at home to Cincinnati in the Divisional Round if Miller was healthy? We will never know, but the Bills got little pressure on Joe Burrow (one sack) in that 27-10 loss.
Miller tied for the team lead with eight sacks despite limited to 12 games and also led in pass rush win rate (23.6%) and pressure percentage (14.5%). He will not debut this year until Week 5 vs. Jacksonville in London at the earliest because players who remain on the physically unable to perform list after Tuesday's deadline at 4 p.m. ET must miss at least the first four games.
In June, Miller said that he expected to be healthy for the Bills' season-opener against the Jets. GM Brandon Beane told reporters on July 31 that Miller was in a "great spot" but the team is playing it cautious with the 34-year-old. He will also miss Week 2 vs. the Raiders, Week 3 at Washington and Week 4 vs. Miami – obviously not ideal Miller will miss two AFC East games as the #BillsMafia look for a fourth straight division title. Buffalo is a +120 favorite.
Miller’s 123.5 sacks rank first among all active players and 19th all-time. Assuming Miller doesn’t miss much more than four games, he should get to 16th this year currently held by Rickey Jackson with 128 sacks. Miller has another 10.5 sacks in 11 playoff games and his defensive performance in Super Bowl 50 for Denver against Cam Newton and the Panthers was one of the best efforts in SB history.
Buffalo did add some depth this offseason in signing Miller’s former Rams teammate Leonard Floyd in free agency. He racked up 29 sacks the previous three seasons while playing outside linebacker for the Rams. Earlier on Tuesday, the Bills traded former second-round defensive end Boogie Basham to the Giants in a deal that will see the two clubs exchange late-round picks in 2025. Basham has just 4.5 sacks in his two seasons but was in the rotation.
The Bills and Jets split their two meetings last season, each winning at home. Miller played in the 20-17 loss at MetLife Stadium and had a sack.
This is great news for the #TakeFlight considering their offensive line might be the biggest question mark on the team. Mekhi Becton was recently named the starting right tackle for Week 1 to answer one question. Becton has suffered season-ending knee injuries in each of his first two years, limited to just one game in 2022.
Rodgers carries a nine-game winning streak on Monday nights from his Packers days into the opener, the third-longest MNF winning streak by a QB in league history. He’s averaging 300.9 passing yards in those nine games with 23 TDs and only three picks.