While the Ravens are looking ahead to Sunday’s divisional showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals, the stellar September play of one Raven was still a focus across the NFL on Thursday.

Linebacker Kyle Van Noy was named AFC Defensive Player of the Month after recording nine quarterback hits, eight tackles, seven tackles for loss and six sacks in September. Van Noy won despite suffering a fractured orbital bone in the team’s season opener against Kansas City.

Van Noy, the first Raven to win the award since linebacker Roquan Smith in 2022, put an exclamation point on his award-winning month with a strip sack of Bills quarterback Josh Allen to blow up a trick play in the second half of the Ravens’ 35-10 win.

“It’s awesome to play with the group of guys we have in that room,” Van Noy said of his fellow pass rushers. “We all hold each other accountable and [coordinator] Zack [Orr] has been putting together some great plans together. It’s been fun.”

Van Noy’s award is just a snippet of the success seen from Baltimore’s pass rushers. The group is playing well in what is becoming a complete unit for the Ravens under Orr, the team’s first-year defensive coordinator.

“I’ve been benefiting from everybody,” Van Noy said. “Travis [Jones] is having an outstanding year and with him and [Nnamdi] Madubuike taking on double teams and creating havoc, it allows me to be able to do my job.”

Van Noy, who leads the Ravens with six sacks and was the only NFL player to record multiple sacks in three or more games in September, is being supported on the outside by fellow pass rusher Odafe Oweh, who has registered 3 1/2 sacks of his own early in the season, showing the explosiveness and ability expected of him after being selected 31st overall in 2021.

“We’ve always known about his talent and work ethic,” Orr said. “Now to see him healthy and making plays for us is great. He’s been good for us this entire season.”

On the interior, Jones has been productive, clogging up holes and providing opportunities for his teammates to focus on playing downhill and being disruptive in their roles.

“Travis Jones has been getting better every single year,” Orr said. “I think this year is going to continue to be a breakout year for him — he pops on the film and he’s a rock in there on the interior. Edge guys know that that helps those guys out.”

Van Noy specifically has been able to focus on simply rushing the passer, even adding in suggestions to help out the young coordinator.

“All he does is come here and work every single day in the classroom and on the field,” Orr said. “He’s one of the smartest players I’ve personally been around — he knows a lot of football. And he understands situations and understands offenses. It’s a credit all to him that we can do different things with him, because he can handle it and execute it at a high level.”

Now, Orr’s unit looks to the battle against a familiar face as quarterback Joe Burrow and the Bengals host the Ravens on Sunday. Flanked again with his two receiving weapons on the outside in Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, the Bengals rank ninth in the NFL in scoring at 25.5 points per game. Their passing attack, which averages 236 yards per game, ranks sixth in the NFL.

“I think the biggest challenge is not letting [Burrow] know where to go with the football, and then really trying to switch stuff up on him,” Orr said. “He’s a really good football player; he’s really smart.”

Orr and Van Noy are confident the defense can show up and compete fresh off a big win and award-winning September performance. The Ravens held Buffalo’s high-powered offense to just 10 points last weekend. Van Noy believes the defense’s best is yet to come.

“It’s only a matter of time, it’s going to come alive,” Van Noy said. “We’re going to have a game where it’s going to pop and everyone’s going to eat.”