Broncos fear Von Miller tore his ACL

Photo Courtesy of Elise Amendola

It appears very likely that all roads to the Super Bowl will go through Denver. That road might have gotten a little easier Sunday, as the Broncos believe Von Miller tore his ACL during Peyton Manning's record setting day in Houston.

The Broncos' strongside linebacker left early in the game Sunday against the Houston Texans with a knee injury. He will have an magnetic resonance imaging exam among other tests Monday to determine the extent of the injury. There is fear Miller suffered an injury to his anterior cruciate ligament, which would end his season. There also is hope tests will reveal his injury won't be that severe and he might be able to brace up for the playoffs. Read more: Von Miller's knee injury leads to fear of ACL tear for Broncos LB - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_24777516/von-miller-knee-injury-leads-fear-acl-tear#ixzz2oJIN0Wis Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse Follow us: @Denverpost on Twitter | Denverpost on Facebook/blockquote>

Now of course, I hope Von Miller is ok and will be able to return to the field this season, but if he cannot, it would certainly make the Patriots' lives easier in a potential AFC Championship matchup. Miller seems to have Nate Solder's number. He consistently pressures Brady when lined up against the left tackle and week 12 in Foxboro he recorded 2 sacks, 2 QB hits, and 2 hurries, all while posting a ProFootballFocus overall defensive rating that was literally off of the chart.

They say football is a war of attrition and the Patriots have taken their fair share of hits, losing more key players than I care to list. Im sad to say it, but it is comforting to see that it isn't just the Patriots suffering these setbacks, and that most playoff teams will not be at full strength 2-3 weeks from now.

After what we watched unfold yesterday, a physical handling of the Ravens who were at home and on a red hot winning streak, I truly believe that the Patriots have a Super Bowl run in them. This team just doesn't quit. They can lock up a first round bye next week at home against the Bills. If they do that, they guarantee themselves at least one home playoff game, and if they make the AFC Championship game, it would also be a home game unless the opponent is Denver. You can bet the farm that any January games in Foxboro or in Denver are going to be cold, windy, and possibly rainy/snowy. Those conditions are obviously favorable to the Patriots and given that every other contender has also lost some important cogs to their machine, I think the Pats have as good a chance as any.

Source: Denver Post

-Ryan Cereola