Kyle Van Noy’s hot start earns him a career first honor

For the first time in his career, Kyle Van Noy was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Month.
The 33-year-old NFL veteran earned the honor Thursday after a stellar September.
Through four weeks, the Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker is second in the league — and leading the AFC — in sacks with six.
Van Noy, the former BYU star, also has an NFL-high seven tackles for loss, while adding nine QB hits and a forced fumble.
Pro Football Focus ranks Van Noy as the No. 9 pass rusher in the league heading into Week 5.
“Van Noy continues to play at a high level in his 11th NFL season. His 92.5 PFF pass-rush grade was tops among all players in Week 4,” PFF’s Ryan Smith wrote, per the Ravens website. “He had the play of the game for the Ravens on defense, forcing a fumble on a trick play in the third quarter.”
Van Noy has recorded three straight multi-sack games, with two in each of the past three weeks.
That ties the franchise record — Justin Houston also had three straight games with multi-sack efforts in 2022.
In Baltimore’s 35-10 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Van Noy caused a fumble on a trick play. It was arguably his best play of the season.
Wide receiver Curtis Samuel took the direct snap while lined up at quarterback for the Bills, and from the right side of the line, Van Noy quickly got into the Buffalo backfield.
Samuel pitched the ball back to Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who had lined up at wide receiver, but again, Van Noy was too quick and tracked down Allen near the sideline. He knocked the ball loose from Allen’s hand as he tried to pass, and fellow defender Kyle Hamilton picked up the loose ball.
“I almost felt disrespected that (the Bills) tried that,” Van Noy said on the “Pat McAfee Show.” “They were trying my IQ out there a little bit.”
Van Noy and the Ravens play at the Cincinnati Bengals this Sunday.