Ravens Need Leadership From Veteran LB

The Baltimore Ravens are counting on one of their veterans on defense.

Jeremy Brener | Jan 14, 2025

Dec 15, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Baltimore Ravens linebacker Kyle Van Noy (53) celebrates after sacking Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) during the first quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

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Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Kyle Van Noy will appear in his 17th NFL playoff game this weekend when his team travels to western New York to face off against the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round.

That gives him a full extra season of knowledge, including two Super Bowl appearances with the New England Patriots. All of that will come into play when the Ravens play the Bills this weekend.

"I just think he's playing good football," Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said.

"I do think it's kind of reflective of the whole defense, really. I mean, everybody's just really focusing on doing their job in a really physical way and a real disciplined way. That's what everybody's really trying to do. Kyle's a great leader that way, too. He leads. He talks to the guys about that and a lot of experience that way, like in the playoffs. So, he's been talking to the guys about playing good [and] disciplined high-effort football."

Van Noy, 33, is enjoying arguably the best season of his 11-year career with 12.5 sacks to his name. While he only had one tackle in the team's Wild Card win against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Ravens know that he will be able to have an impact, whether it shows in the box score or not, against the Bills.

"There's so many situations where there's kind of the unsung aspects of a play that a lot of our guys have done. He's been the same guy. Sometimes he'll be in a position where a quarterback can't escape, and someone else will wrap around and get the sack or squeeze in on a run and force the run back to a linebacker, or bounce them out to a DB like he's supposed to," Harbaugh said.

Van Noy and the Ravens will kick off against the Bills on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET.

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Published Jan 14, 2025

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several On SI sites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid and resides in Central Florida. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.