Ravens OLB Kyle Van Noy named AFC Defensive Player of the Month

The veteran edge defender continues age like fine wine and is getting justly recognized for it.

After getting off to the hottest start of his career to date with an AFC-leading six sacks in the first four games of the 2024 regular season, Baltimore Ravens veteran outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy was named AFC Defensive Player of the Month for the first time in his career.

This well-deserved honor comes after he closed out September with his third straight game of two-plus sacks in the Ravens 35-10 rout of the Buffalo Bills in Week 4, tying a franchise record (Justin Houston, 2022). What makes Van Noy’s production more impressive than its sheer volume is the time in which he has recorded his sacks, with most of them coming on third-down’s, resulting in drive-ending losses or long field goal try’s.

Against the Bills, his clutch strip-sack of Josh Allen on a trick play attempt gave the Ravens the ball and the momentum back after Buffalo came out strong to open the second half. The fact that general manager Eric DeCosta was able to re-sign him to a two-year deal worth just $9 million continues to look like one of the best bargain contracts of the offseason, along with four-time Pro Bowl running back Derrick Henry, who also signed for two years on a deal with an average annual salary under $10 million.

Van Noy’s sack total ranks second in the NFL behind only Detroit Lions’ Aidan Hutchinson (6.5). Van Noy also leads the Ravens in tackles for loss (seven), quarterback hits (nine) and pressures (14).

“I take it very personal that I wasn’t on a football team [at the beginning of] last year,” Van Noy said. “I’m always trying to prove that I can play – each and every year – at a high level. I have goals and dreams that I’m always chasing, and I felt like I’ve been underrated my whole career, and I’m just going to continue to work.”

In his first season with the Ravens, the two-time Super Bowl champion logged a career-high nine sacks in 14 games and now is on pace to shatter his personal best, along with becoming the team’s first defender at his position to record double-digit sacks since Terrell Suggs (11) in 2017. Pro Bowl defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike became the first Raven at any position to reach the 10-plus threshold in 2023 with a career-high 13.