The Buffalo Bills host the Denver Broncos on Sunday kicking off another playoff run. It has been a disappointing playoff career for Josh Allen in Buffalo, never reaching the Super Bowl and only one AFC Championship Game appearance. He has to shine in this game for them to win, but the defense is the key to victory. Von Miller is the X-Factor on defense and overall for Buffalo.

Allen is a superstar quarterback who may snag his first MVP award this season. Even though he had a slow end to the season statically, he is still favored over Lamar Jackson. The Bills also have a ton of playoff experience, even though they have demons too, which should help in this game. He is going against a rookie quarterback in this game, which is an advantageous matchup.

The Broncos had three chances to win a game to clinch the playoffs. They finally did it against the Chiefs' backups in Week 18 after losing the first two chances. All of the Bills defenders should be licking their chops to go against an inexperienced quarterback. A rookie has never quarterbacked the team to a Super Bowl, stacking the odds heavily against the Broncos.

That is where Von Miller comes in, as the veteran pass-rusher on the Bills defensive line. While other star players can dominate on the defense, Miller is the biggest name in the group. The Broncos have a strong offensive line but getting around them will be key to stopping Denver's offense. If they can do that, this could be a blowout on Sunday afternoon.

There were some lackluster defensive performances for Buffalo this season that Josh Allen was able to keep close. Their loss to the Rams and win over the Lions both should concern Bills fans unless they dominate on Sunday.

Von Miller must lead the Bills' defense

Buffalo Bills linebacker Von Miller (40) leaves the field after the game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

When the Bills signed Von Miller, he was coming off a run to the Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams. He played with Aaron Donald, who garnered most of the attention from offensive lines. Miller was able to rack up some individual stats with nine sacks in 12 total games while playing there.

But his time in Buffalo has not been as strong. No one expected him to be the Super Bowl MVP he was in Denver, but last year he went 12 games without a sack. The Bills got a better version of Miller this year with six sacks in 13 games. He was suspended for four games for violating the league's conduct policy.

With a proven winner and former Bronco leading the way, this could be the year the Bills' defense finally puts it together. After that Lions win that left many questioning their long-term viability, they picked it up late. Their performances against the Patriots and Jets should keep the spirits high in the locker room.

There is nobody on the Bills who is more important than Josh Allen. He is in the Most Valuable Player race for that reason. But Nix will likely be the worst quarterback they face in the playoffs, and that is no slight at the rookie. Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, and CJ Stroud are out there ready to pick apart defenses. They should use this as a game to build off of for their playoff run

The Bills are 8.5-point favorites and -460 on the money line, according to FanDuel. Miller is +154 to record a sack, something he did not do in either playoff game last season.