**
DENVER —** Von Miller entered Sunday night's game vs. the Chiefs with one thing on his mind: making more game-changing plays.
"You've just got to go out there and create it," Miller told the media Friday. "You've just got to go out there and make it happen."
Well, the Super Bowl 50 MVP did just about everything in his power to make plays happen on Sunday, though the Broncos ultimately fell short in a 30-27 overtime thriller vs. their division rival. Miller's three-sack performance tied a career high for most sacks in a single game, while the pass rush as a whole recorded a season-best six sacks. Miller now leads the league in sacks with 12.5, marking his fifth season with double-digit sacks. The linebacker is now tied with Ring of Famer Simon Fletcher for the most double-digit sack seasons in Broncos history.
The defense itself played lights out for a majority of the game, holding the Chiefs to just 49 yards in the first half, which represented the 13th time in the last 25 years the Broncos have held an opponent under 50 yards in the opening half.
"I thought they were good," safety Darian Stewart said of the Broncos' pass rush. "They were able to affect [Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith] all day even when he was getting it out quick. They had good pressure [and were] over him all game. We just have to be better in the finish."
However, it's the finish that this defense will remember most, as they were unable to stop Smith and the rest of the Chiefs offense in the final drive of regulation and on both overtime drives.
"Alex, he always does a great job of passing the ball pretty quickly. He's a great decision maker. I've got all the respect for him," Miller said. "He went down the field and not only drove, he got the two-point conversion."
The final stretch was anything but ideal, but for Miller, who had just two sacks in his last four games prior to Sunday, it was a much-needed performance. And it's a performance the Broncos hope to see replicated in the weeks to come.
