METAIRIE, La. -- The New Orleans Saints took turns one-upping each other when it came to praising Denver Broncos pass rusher Von Miller on Wednesday.

“Man, he’s disruptive. I mean, he has no weaknesses,” quarterback Drew Brees said.

“He’s elite. And you would say probably -- no, you would say clearly -- I think the best pass-rusher in our game right now,” coach Sean Payton said.

Von Miller wrapping up a quarterback -- San Diego's Philip Rivers in this case -- is an all-too-familiar sight. The Broncos pass-rusher is tied for the most sacks in the NFL since 2014. AP Photo/Joe Mahoney

But offensive tackle Zach Strief, who will have the pleasure of facing Miller for most of the game Sunday when the Saints host Denver, may have had the best description of all. “He has a really rare combination of power and speed, get-off, anticipation. He’s kinda got everything,” Strief said. “If you made a list of the perfect pass rusher ... when kids create a player on Madden, they give him all the attributes that Von Miller has.”

Miller, 27, had his breakout moment during last year’s Super Bowl run. He had 2.5 sacks in the AFC Championship Game, then 2.5 more sacks and two forced fumbles in the Super Bowl to set the tone for Denver’s commanding 24-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers.

The 6-foot-3, 250-pounder hasn’t slowed down one bit this year. He has 9.5 sacks through nine games. He has had at least one half-sack in eight of those games.

“He’s so explosive,” Brees said. “He’s such a great athlete. Even when he drops in coverage, he can flip his hips and run and do some things that you say for a guy that big and strong and powerful, that’s pretty incredible. And then obviously when he rushes the passer, the first thing you notice is his get-off. The minute that ball’s snapped, he is upfield and wreaking havoc. He’s got all kinds of variety when it comes to his pass-rush moves. He’s got power, he’s got speed, quickness, spin. I mean, he can do it all.

“So you’ve obviously gotta have a plan for a guy like that. And also for me, there’s gotta be a clock in my head. You can’t be holding that ball when he’s rushing that passer.”

Dating back to the start of 2014, Miller is tied with Houston's J.J. Watt for the most sacks in the NFL, including the postseason (39.5). He is No. 2 behind Watt since they both entered the league in 2011 (Miller has 76 career sacks, including the playoffs).

But as Payton pointed out, Denver’s defense is even more daunting because veteran pass rusher DeMarcus Ware is coming from the other side. Ware is third on that list of NFL sack leaders since 2011 with 60, including the playoffs.

“Clearly you have to have a plan for Von. And the bigger problem now is DeMarcus Ware is healthy,” Payton said, referring to Ware returning to the lineup two weeks ago from a broken arm. “So you see him getting his legs back and getting the pressure. Look, it’s what made these guys so good a year ago. So we’ve gotta have a plan and be ready for how they rush and be ready to get rid of it on time.”

Brees has been sacked only 12 times this year – on pace to match his lowest total since 2011.

Unfortunately the Saints’ stellar left tackle, Terron Armstead, has been dealing with a lingering knee issue that has his status in jeopardy this week. Armstead has been fighting through the injury in recent weeks, but he left last Sunday’s game at San Francisco early and did not return.

The good news is that second-year pro Andrus Peat has been solid as the backup left tackle this year. And Strief is having an excellent season at age 33. Pro Football Focus rated him as the best right tackle in the NFL at the midseason point.

“As long as the Saints keep rating me as the No. 1 right tackle on this team and I can keep playing, I’ll take that,” Strief said when asked about the rating. “Look, there’s a lot more that goes into it than an individual’s performance. Obviously being balanced helps a ton, and this offense has been effective, and Drew’s been getting the ball out. All those things factor into it.”

The Saints will need to be on point in all of those area more than ever on Sunday.