Von Miller's debut should not only encourage him

But at 35 and entering his 15th season, Miller showed he can still dominate as a backup right tackle in Sunday's 34-28 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

Yes, that was Miller rushing running back Kelvin Beachum in the second half and getting credit for the sack when quarterback Kyler Murray tripped over Beachum's foot. It was Miller's first sack since Nov. 13, 2022 against Minnesota.

Miller tore his ACL on Nov. 24, 2022, returned in Week 5 last year and didn't have a single sack in 14 regular-season and playoff games. He needed something good — in general — and a sack — in particular — right at the start to convince others, and maybe himself, that he has productive football in the tank.

“You think about it for so long – you think about the whole last year and you think, 'I can't wait to get a sack, I can't wait to get a sack,'” Miller said. “And then when you get the sack, it's business as usual. You act like you've been there before.”

Miller has certainly experienced this before. He enters his 175th regular-season game Thursday night in Miami with 124.5 sacks, which ranks 27th all-time (and first among active players), according to Pro Football Reference, which has been cataloging sacks since 1960.

“I’m not going to lie, it definitely felt good,” Miller said.

The sack wasn't Miller's only play. I gave him yellow cards for two other quarterback pressure situations.

Miller played 29 snaps, a total he exceeded only once last season – 32 snaps against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 16, and was left off the roster the following week due to injury.

If Miller can hit a sweet spot of 25-35 snaps per week and defensive lineman Greg Rousseau emerges as a force (three sacks on Sunday), Miller should have 1-on-1 matchups to test out.

“It was really cool to see Von get back to being Von,” defensive coordinator Bobby Babich said. “He got that sack, and that was (encouraging) because it gives him a little more confidence. Hopefully it will do wonders for him.”

1. Thursday turnaround. The Bills at least have Sunday's game and Thursday's game behind them. Coach Sean McDermott met with coordinators on Sunday night, hours after the Bills beat Arizona, to plan the week. They had a walkthrough late Monday afternoon and a practice without protective equipment on Tuesday.

“Thursday night games are never easy for the players,” offensive coordinator Joe Brady said. “They start on Sunday and it's fast for them, and a lot of them don't feel good physically on a (normal) Thursday. Fortunately, we've only had one game this season, unlike when you do it in Week 12. Our guys are ready for it and we're going to get them ready to go.”

This benefits the Bills on three fronts: Their kickoff temperature against Arizona was 16.5 degrees (it was 32.5 degrees at Miami's home game against Jacksonville), the sun will be long gone by kickoff at 8:15 p.m., and the Bills used a lot of players against Arizona (which helps keep things fresh). Nine offensive players played at least 11 snaps and eight defensive players played at least seven snaps.

2. Rare full-back. The Chargers debuted 300-pound fullback Scott Matlock last week, and he played 18 snaps on offense, 16 on defense and 14 on special teams in a win over Las Vegas.

Bills fullback Reggie Gilliam reported last week that he weighs 249 pounds. Baltimore fullback Patrick Ricard is listed at 300 pounds.

“(Matlock) is another Pat Ricard,” Gilliam said. “I think I know how they're going to use (Matlock), and it's always going to be downhill. Maybe they'll put him on a flat route one time to keep the defense on their toes, but no (lead blocking) on ​​routes or throws.”

3. Poyer reunion. Miami safety Jordan Poyer faces the Bills for the first time since they released him on March 6 after seven seasons. Poyer played all 53 snaps and had six tackles in the win over Jacksonville.

“One of the reasons I came (to Miami) was because I saw this team grow over the last seven years and become what it is today,” Poyer told Miami-area reporters on Monday. “I wanted to be a big help in being part of that springboard to win the AFC East and make a run in the playoffs.”

The Dolphins have not won a playoff game since a 23-17 victory over Indianapolis on December 30, 2000, and have not won the division since 2008 (when New England quarterback Tom Brady tore his ACL in Week 1).

4. Design monitoring. Arizona plays at Kansas State (Friday, 8 p.m.), a matchup of the Wildcats and UA's first Big 12 game. The Bills have a ton of receivers under contract for 2025, but it doesn't hurt to keep an eye on the best pass catchers, and Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan is one of them. McMillan stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 215 pounds. He's a third-year junior from Hawaii who decided to stay instead of transferring after coach Jedd Fisch left for Washington. McMillan had 10 catches for 304 yards (a school record) and four touchdowns (69, 17, 78 and 40 yards, which tied a school record) in a season-opening win over New Mexico, but just two catches in a win over Northern Arizona. Expect him to be prioritized against K-State.

5. Extra points. The Bills needed 33 carries to gain 130 yards, a 3.9-yard average that is not ideal. They had 11 “bad” running plays, runs that gained one or fewer yards (not including short yards). Four were flagged for failing to block defenders. … The times for Rousseau's three sacks were 6.38, 2.39 and 3.19 seconds. … Quarterback Josh Allen was 1 of 2 for 28 yards on passes that went at least 16 “air” yards, but he worked well in the intermediate ranges, going 5 of 6 for 82 yards on passes that went 11-15 “air” yards.