The Baltimore Ravens were unhappy with a lot of things after losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1, and edge rusher Kyle Van Noy has added his voice to the discontented.
He said he was less than impressed by the Chiefs’ medical staff and training facilities after injuring an during the 27-20 defeat September 5 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
Kyle Van Noy Slams ‘Unacceptable’ Chiefs
Speaking to former NFL defensive tackle Gerald McCoy on the “McCoy and Van Noy” podcast for Yahoo! Sports, Van Noy explained, “I was disappointed in the way the training staff of the Chiefs handled the situation. When things like that hurt, you get hurt, especially something that could be serious like mine was, you’re supposed to rely on the team’s training staff or, you know, their doctors.”
As Van Noy pointed out, he was “supposed to see a Ophthalmologist,” but the Chiefs’ staff “took an entire quarter to get down to talk to me in the locker room, which to me is unacceptable, because then you start thinking, you know, what if I was trying to go back in the game? What If I was, you know, really, really hurt?”
Finally, Van Noy revealed, “I understand how Kansas City, the players, have given that training room an F. With my experience, I would have probably after that gave them an F too, but it was just the unprofessional….”
Baltimore’s @KVN_03 called out the Chiefs training staff for slow response time and “unprofessional” response to his eye injury on Thursday.
(via McCoy and Van Noy)
Although Van Noy stumbled over his words toward the end, he was clear on the seriousness of the unsatisfactory processes and care he received on the road. It’s one more complaint for the Ravens to hold in what’s becoming a nasty rivalry.
Ravens Have Long List of Complaints
Van Noy’s is one of many complaints the Ravens had after Week 1. Another concerned how left tackle Ronnie Stanley was frequently flagged for so-called “illegal formation,” lining up behind the line of scrimmage.
Stanley drew flags, but the Chiefs, specifically right tackle Jawaan Taylor, did not for the same infraction, something highlighted by Michael Hurley of 100.7 WZLX.
I’m exclusively watching tackles pre-snap now because that’s what the NFL wants and I don’t see how the Chiefs’ tackles aren’t also lined up “in the backfield.”
The disparity left Stanley asking questions, per The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec: “I’m looking at their tackles, especially the right side, and I know I’m lining up in front of that guy. And they didn’t call him one time. It’s a little bit of making me feel like I’m crazy, (that) I don’t know where I’m lining up.”
Stanley had a point, but there were other calls that didn’t go the Ravens’ way. Like when KC defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo was allowed to call a timeout, a privilege reserved only for head coaches.
The timeout was upheld, much to the surprise of Sharp Football Analysis owner Warren Sharp.
wait, so the Chiefs called a timeout they weren’t legally allowed to call??
and there is no penalty just keep going?
Missed calls and near misses, like when tight end Isaiah Likely thought he’d completed a touchdown catch late, meant the Ravens came up short again. There was no revenge for the Chiefs winning 17-10 at M&T Bank Stadium in last season’s AFC Championship Game.
The simplest way to get over their grievances is for the Ravens to finally beat the Chiefs, preferably when it matters most.
It won’t happen unless Van Noy and the Baltimore defense puts more pressure on Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The latter was sacked twice on opening night, but Mahomes still had enough time to complete 71 percent of his passes and dissect the Ravens with 291 yards and a touchdown through the air.
Those numbers help illustrate an underrated concern about this season’s Ravens. Namely, whether they can generate as much pressure as last season, when they led the NFL with 60 sacks.
They’ll need another big season from Van Noy, who logged nine sacks in 2023, to keep enough heat on the pocket to finally beat the Chiefs and gain AFC supremacy.
