The Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens may very well be on a collision course for the Super Bowl this year, and much to the benefit of football lovers, they'll be able to put on a show for us far sooner than February. Week 3 finds the two teams clashing for Monday Night Football, with the Lions traveling to Baltimore to face off with the Ravens.
Both teams are 1-1, and winning on the margins will be huge for helping one powerhouse get over the other. One of those marginal areas is pressures on the quarterback, and that's something that Ravens pass rusher Kyle Van Noy is quite excellent at when healthy. Unfortunately for Baltimore, it sounds like he may not be good to go for this Week 3 game between the two clubs.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported on Monday that Van Noy, who suffered a hamstring injury in Week 2 against the Cleveland Browns, could miss multiple weeks. He's a huge part of what makes the Ravens' defense tick, as evidenced by his 2024 season where he notched a team-high 12.5 sacks. Without Van Noy, we should expect to see some burn for rookie pass rusher Mike Green out of Marshall University.
Van Noy leaves huge hole on Ravens' defense ahead of Week 3
Detroit has seen some slow but steady progress from their offensive line between Week 1 and Week 2, with their IOL notably improving while playing against a weaker Chicago Bears defensive line. Chicago's D-line might not be on the same level as Baltimore's, but you have to hope that Week 2 offered some confidence to them and their ability to protect Goff in the pocket.
Van Noy this year has not tallied any sacks, and gathered up just two pressures against the Buffalo Bills and Browns.
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Without Van Noy, Baltimore has the tools to make up for his impact on the game with implementing Green, defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike, or potentially linebacker Roquan Smith in the pass rush. Green had 17 sacks in his final year at Marshall, and he looked solid in his snaps against Cleveland.
Detroit's O-line cannot get lax now that Van Noy is likely a scratch for MNF, on the contrary: they need to have their best game of the season so far in order to have a chance at walking down this Ravens defense.