Super Bowl 2022: Rams' Von Miller looking ahead to more Super Bowl glory

LOS ANGELES — Ever since the moment he stood amid the confetti and was named MVP of Super Bowl 50 some six years ago, having led the Broncos’ defense to a victory over the Panthers, Von Miller has been trying to top that achievement.

Now he has a real chance to do it.

"I remember telling you guys I don’t want Super Bowl 50 to be the highlight of my career," he said to reporters Wednesday as he and the Rams, the team he was traded to in November, prepare to face the Bengals in Super Bowl LVI. "To be honest it just might be, it just might be, you know what I mean? It just might be that we won a Super Bowl with Peyton Manning, DeMarcus [Ware].

"But I’m hoping this Super Bowl will be just as high."

If he can duplicate or surpass what he did last time on this stage, when his 2 ½ sacks of Cam Newton were so dominant that they overshadowed even what was widely recognized as the final game of Peyton Manning’s career, Miller could make history. He could become the first two-time Super Bowl MVP to win the award in two different uniforms and the first defensive player to ever win it twice. Given the Bengals’ struggles to protect Joe Burrow all season long (he was sacked a league-high 51 times in the regular season and another 12 times in three postseason games so far), he has a better chance than most to make that kind of impact on Sunday’s festivities.

That MVP accolade Miller has been trying to beat is one of the reasons why the Rams traded for him. They are a team that has many players who participated in their own Super Bowl three years ago and lost to the Patriots. They changed some of their parts — quarterback being the most noticeable with a big trade last offseason for Matthew Stafford — but still wanted to add someone who had been to the pinnacle they had not yet reached.

"Absolutely that matters the way he played in those moments when they won the Super Bowl in Denver," Rams coach Sean McVay said. "Guys believe in that. His track record speaks for itself. His work, his résumé, the way he carries himself, it demands respect."

It’s also brought some energy to a grind that has been going hard since late July when the Rams reported to training camp. Adding Miller in the middle of the season gave the team a lift.

"I just try to sense when guys are not feeling it and try to uplift the guys," he said. "I’m a fun guy. Like Kawhi Leonard, I’m a fun guy, I like to have fun . . . I like to have positive energy. I like to have a good time and I like to be around people in the locker room. I’m an entertainer. I love telling jokes and keep the spirit high and I definitely think that I brought some positive energy to this team."

He brought the sacks with him, too. Seven in his 11 games with the Rams.

"I still feel like I’m the guy that has to go out there and win the game for my teammates," Miller said. "I still feel like I’m the quarterback. I still feel like I hold all the weight to go out there and win the game. That’s how I want it. That’s just the way I look at it . . . Have success rushing the passer, that’s why I’m here."

That, and maybe to outdo what for many players would be the apex of their careers.

"I’m hoping my performance [Sunday] will be the same [as in Super Bowl 50]," he said. "I’m hoping these two Super Bowls will be the highlight of my career, that I can point to these two Super Bowls and talk about them with my son when he’s older . . . I don’t want Super Bowl 50 to be the highlight of my career, I’m hoping that 56 is the highlight of my career.

"It’s the biggest game of my life and I want to go out there and play that way."

By Tom Rock

tom.rock@newsday.com@TomRock_Newsday

Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.