CB Jalen Ramsey had a handful of impact moments in his Steelers debut, particularly closing out the game with a thunderous pass breakup against Garrett Wilson. But he also helped close out the first half, partly by design, or so it seems. With the Jets approaching midfield and the clock ticking, Ramsey slammed into QB Justin Fields with force.
Fields’ offensive line took umbrage to Ramsey’s physical play, even though it was a clean hit. And he knew it was a clean hit—and he knew that Fields’ teammates would react. “They didn’t like my aggression, but that’s football”, he told reporters after the game, via NJ.com.
“It wasn’t a flag, it’s clean. I saw their lineman running my way, and I knew I was about to get that 15. That was easy bait. But it’s football, I respect they gotta stand up for their quarterback”.
The offending lineman was John Simpson, in his second season with the Jets after previously playing with the Ravens for one season, gaining some familiarity with the Steelers. Jalen Ramsey wasn’t in Pittsburgh by then, but rivalries are rivalries.
Of course, Ramsey didn’t know somebody would come up and hit him. He knew the Jets wouldn’t like his hit, though, and he certainly didn’t try to defuse the situation. By his celebration after drawing the penalty, one can easily tell this wasn’t his first rodeo.
“I’m glad he’s on my team,” HC Mike Tomlin said about Ramsey after the game. “I’ve seen it in stadiums before. A lot of these new Steelers, we’ve covered it for a long time, and sometimes, it’s about opportunity. I’ve certainly been an appreciator of his skills and talents”.
The Jets were in a 2nd and 2 on that play, which resulted in an incompletion. Tacking on a 15-yard penalty, they suddenly were looking at 3rd and 17 from their own 26 with nine seconds left. Had they not lost the yardage, they appeared intent on being aggressive to close out the quarter. Instead, they just ran a draw to drain the remainder of the clock and head into the locker room.
The Steelers traded for Jalen Ramsey in the lead-up to training camp. Along with TE Jonnu Smith, who scored a touchdown on the possession preceding the Jets drive under discussion, they sent a fifth-round pick and S Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Miami Dolphins.
Although the Steelers’ defense did not play well overall, Ramsey managed to stand out. He finished the game officially with three tackles, and recorded passes defensed on two of the Jets’ final three plays. In doing so, he protected a lead Chris Boswell had just given the Steelers on a 60-yard field goal.
