On a field in a game featuring two of the premier defensive players in the NFL in pass rushers T.J. Watt and Myles Garrett, sacks were aplenty Sunday at Acrisure Stadium in the 23-9 win for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
But who was the Black and Gold’s sack leader was a surprise.
That would be cornerback Jalen Ramsey. The veteran defensive back recorded two sacks in the win, tied for the team lead with Nick Herbig. The Steelers recorded six sacks of rookie QB Dillon Gabriel.
Watt had just half a sack, but did bat down a pass in the win and was a consistent force off the edge. As for Garrett, he was a near no-show, recording just two assisted tackles.
For Ramsey, who spoke to reporters after the game, his performance will be one he tells his kids about one day.
“I’m gonna probably tell my kids about this. I played in a game with T.J. Watt and Myles Garrett, and I had two sacks. Crazy, huh?” Ramsey said to reporters, according to video via 93.7 The Fan on X. “That’s crazy. So, yeah, it was my first time in my whole career having two sacks in one game.
“So that’s pretty cool.”
When the Steelers made the blockbuster trade to land Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith from the Miami Dolphins, the belief was that Ramsey would provide added physicality and the ability to blitz off the edge at the cornerback position. It didn’t matter whether that was as an outside corner or from the slot.
So far this season, that’s exactly what he’s done.
“He’s a hell of an asset to us, and I’m just glad he is a part of our team,” Watt said to reporters after the win, according to video via Steelers.com.
Ramsey is up to four pressures on the season, and those two sacks were his first of the season. He picked a great time to make those plays, in a key AFC North matchup after the Steelers’ bye week.
Earlier in the week, it was unclear if Ramsey would play in the game due to his hamstring injury suffered late in the Week 4 win over the Minnesota Vikings in Dublin. But as the week progressed, Ramsey showed signs of health and was ultimately cleared to play Saturday, giving the Steelers a big boost defensively.
If the Steelers can send pressure with a guy like Ramsey off the edge and he can get home to the quarterback like he did Sunday, their defense is even more dangerous moving forward as they scheme things up to confuse quarterbacks.
That performance from Ramsey in a career full of them can be one he shares proudly with his kids. After all, he was the sack artist on a day in which two all-time greats shared the field.
