Ravens ‘optimistic’ about Kyle Van Noy’s Week 2 status despite orbital fracture

The Baltimore Ravens might have one of their top pass rushers heading into their matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders.  Ravens linebacker Kyle Van Noy returned to practice on Friday, and there’s a good chance he’ll be playing against the Raiders on Sunday. Van Noy returned to practice on Friday after suffering a fractured orbital bone during Baltimore’s season-opening loss against the Kansas City Chiefs. He entered Sunday as questionable due to the eye injury, but he ended up getting listed as active for his team’s second game of the season.

“It felt really good. I’m feeling good, feeling optimistic; I still have two days [to improve before Sunday’s game], obviously, and [I’m] just trying to do everything I can, and we’re looking to go 1-0 this week against the Raiders,” Van Noy said.

Van Noy suffered the injury in the third quarter while rushing Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The Ravens pass rusher was down on the field for an extended period and was eventually ruled out for the rest of the game. If he plays, he expects to wear something that can protect his fractured orbital bone.

“If I play, I’ll talk to the equipment [staff] and the doctors to make sure I have the proper gear,” Van Noy said. “I’ll definitely wear a visor – that’s for sure, but [I’ll] do everything necessary to be ready if I play.”

Can Kyle Van Noy and the Ravens’ defense rattle the Raiders?

If the Ravens defense is going to be one of the top units in the league like last year, it will need its top players to lead the way. The acknowledgment that that did not happen the previous week sets the tone for Sunday’s home opener against the 0-1 Raiders. Baltimore’s defense looks like a motivated group intent on righting its mistakes from last week and playing more in the manner it expects.

“Excited to go back out this weekend and make up for it,” Ravens star Kyle Hamilton said. “There was a lot of good stuff on that film to learn from, and like I just said, it’s a week-to-week league, and I think we’re moving on.”

The Raiders don’t present the same offensive challenges as the Chiefs, but plenty there demands the Ravens’ attention. Quarterback Gardner Minshew II beat the Ravens in M&T Bank Stadium as a member of the Indianapolis Colts last year. Davante Adams is one of the top wide receivers in football. And the Raiders’ young tight end duo of Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer presents matchup issues. If the Ravens are who they think they are, they should win this game relatively comfortably. But they’ll need their defense to step up in a big way.