Jalen Ramsey has had some good moments in his first six games with the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, he’s also playing a role much more expansive than he’s used to, and there’s been some struggles.
It wasn’t only him, but the entire Steelers’ defense was poor on Thursday. They allowed Joe Flacco, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to do whatever they wanted, and Ramsey was a part of that. Former NFL CB Asante Samuel didn’t like how Ramsey looked, to say the least.
“When I say, the embarrassing gets more embarrassing, man, Jalen Ramsey had a long night,” Samuel said Friday on his Say What Needs To Be Said podcast. “He got a lot to think about, man. If he wants to continue to expose himself like this, or, you know, call it a day. He’s getting a lot of money. So it’s probably worth it in some people’s eyes to go out there and get embarrassed like that.”
It was a poor day for Ramsey, and the rest of the defense. The team got off to a strong start, with the offense scoring 10 quick points and the defense getting a stop to begin the game. But once the Bengals got some momentum with an interception, they marched right down the field, targeting Ramsey multiple times. He was called for a pass interference on the drive, and later gave up this touchdown to Ja’Marr Chase, although it does look like Chase pushed off a bit.
Although he thought Ramsey was bad, Samuel does side with him thinking that should have been offensive pass interference. Although he thinks the NFL always favors the offense.
“On an even playing field, it’s a pass interference all day,” Samuel said. “But being that we playing in the National Football League, and they wanna see more touchdowns, it’s not a pass interference. They’re never going to call that.”
That play was a microcosm of the way the day went for Jalen Ramsey, and the Steelers’ defense as a whole. On the Bengals’ final drive, he gave up this completion to Higgins, putting them in field goal range.
He’s had some huge plays at times, but the struggles have been real for Ramsey. He’s allowing a 69.2-percent completion rate and 282 yards against him. Ramsey’s also allowing a brutal 15.7 yards per completion, and a 127.4 passer rating when targeted. Aside from his total yards allowed, all of those stats are currently on pace to be the worst numbers he’s posted in all 8 of his years in the NFL.
There could be a couple reasons for his struggles. He’s taking on more roles than he ever has this year, which could just be too much for him. He’s also not being put in the best positions by a coaching staff that refused to make any adjustments during Thursday’s game. There’s also the fact that he’s now 31, and his prime years could just be behind him.
Either way, Jalen Ramsey, and the entire defense just haven’t been as good as the Steelers have hoped. There’s time to turn things around, but it’s got to start to turn quickly.
