Broncos’ Von Miller talks about Drew Lock and who he is rooting for in Super Bowl LIV
Broncos linebacker Von Miller made the rounds Thursday with media members at Super Bowl LIV in Miami, and naturally, he was asked which team he thought would win.
The Chiefs will play the 49ers on Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium, and Miller’s bias showed ... as a defensive player.
“I think the 49ers defense and their defensive line will step up. If (there) is a team that can take Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs down, it’s got to be the 49ers,” Miller said on ESPN’s “Get Up.” “They’ve got five defensive linemen that were taken in the first round, they’ve got Richard Sherman, they’ve got a lot of guys with experience and they’re the hot team right now.”
San Francisco rolled through the NFC playoffs, crushing the Vikings 27-10 in a NFC Divisional playoff game, then hammering the Packers 37-20, clinching a spot in the Super Bowl.
Miller was then asked who he hopes would prevail.
“I want Frank Clark and Dee Ford to have great games,” Miller said on ESPN’s “Get Up.” “I really don’t want the Chiefs to win, because they’re the rivals. But it really doesn’t matter. I just want to see guys perform and have success.”
The reason for Miller’s desire to have individuals do well? He’s held a pass-rushing summit for the past three years. Among the players who have participated, Miller said on “Good Morning Football” on the NFL Network, are the Chiefs’ Frank Clark and the 49ers’ Arik Armstead, Dee Ford, Solomon Thomas.
During the visit on the NFL Network, Miller also said there will be some intriguing games within the game Sunday.
“Nick Bosa and Eric Fisher matchup is going to be one to watch and the 49ers secondary versus Patrick Mahomes,” he said. “They’ve got quite a few matchups, but I’m going with the 49ers.”
This is not to say Miller doesn’t see a path for the Chiefs to win the Super Bowl.
“Patrick Mahomes, the way to stop him is you have to play good defense, but you have to score points, too,” he said. “If the 49ers aren’t scoring, it’ll be the Chiefs’ game to win.”
The conversation turned briefly to Miller’s team, specifically Broncos quarterback Drew Lock, the former Lee’s Summit High School/Mizzou star.
Denver was 4-1 in games started by Lock to end the season, and Miller said he expects great things from his quarterback.
“He just had that confidence. He just had an aura around him,” Miller said. “I knew it from Day 1 that he was special. ... I feel like confidence is such a huge part of a quarterback’s game. A young quarterback, he has all the confidence in the world, and I think that’s going to take him where he needs to go.”
Here are the clips:
This story was originally published January 31, 2020 at 8:31 AM.
