San Francisco 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith and Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller enjoyed huge weekends against their respective opponents in Week 11. The two defensive stars have been neck-and-neck all season long with sacks, but Smith overtook the league lead on Monday night when he racked up 5.5 in a win over the Chicago Bears. Miller had three against the San Diego Chargers on Sunday.
Miller held the league lead going into the Monday night game, and after the game Smith said he planned to let him know his run at the top was short-lived.
“I’ll probably text him as soon as I leave here,” Smith said while grinning according to the Sacramento Bee.
Smith, who added that he has a “thing” for playing under the lights in primetime games, leads the NFL with 15 sacks in only his second season as a pro. Miller, also in his second season, trails him with 13.
It’s nice to see Smith having a little fun with the friendly rivalry. No matter how you look at it, these are two of the best young pass-rushers in the game and they have barely burst into their primes. Through less than two seasons, Miller and Smith have combined for a whopping 53.5 sacks. Unless offenses can figure out how to stop them, there could be a lot of text messages going back and forth about who leads the league in sacks for years to come.
