3S.BREAKING NEWS: The NFL has officially announced a harsh punishment for Miami Dolphins CB Jalen Ramsey following Sunday’s win over the Colts.
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Jalen Ramsey was fined for a big hit he delivered to Michael Pittman Jr. in the Steelers’ win over the Colts
The Pittsburgh Steelers picked up an impressive 27-20 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 9 after suffering a pair of disappointing losses in their previous two games. And yet, not everything went according to plan in this one, as star defensive back Jalen Ramsey ended up getting punished by the NFL for some of his actions in this game.
It’s been a bit of a hectic week for Ramsey, as head coach Mike Tomlin confirmed that he will be moving from cornerback to safety for the remainder of the 2025 campaign. Before he can focus on his new role, though, Ramsey has to focus on a hefty fine he received from the league for a big hit he delivered to Michael Pittman Jr. last weekend.
Jalen Ramsey Receives Substantial Fine from NFL
#Steelers DB Jalen Ramsey was fined $17,389 for this unnecessary roughness penalty against Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr. last week.
Entering the 2025 campaign, expectations were high for the Steelers’ star-laden defense. Through eight games, though, the unit has struggled quite mightily. While they enjoyed a strong game in Week 9, this is a unit that has been incredibly reliant on forcing turnovers, which isn’t exactly a recipe for success.
Ramsey was picked up in a blockbuster trade with the Miami Dolphins over the summer, and the expectation was that he would lock down one side of the field for Pittsburgh at the cornerback position. The problem is that Ramsey has been a big part of the problem for the Steelers’ defense. On throws where Ramsey is the closest defender in coverage, he’s allowing a completion percentage of 70.2% and a passer rating of 105, both of which are the worst marks of his career.
Even with a big win in the books, Pittsburgh is looking for better results moving forward, which led to Ramsey’s move to safety. In Week 9, Ramsey struggled to hold up in coverage once again, and after allowing a completion to Pittman on one play, he delivered a big hit on him that was quickly ruled unnecessary roughness. Not only was Ramsey assessed a 15-yard penalty for the hit, but he has also been fined $17,389 by the league.
“Steelers DB Jalen Ramsey was fined $17,389 for this unnecessary roughness penalty against Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr. last week,” Rob Gregson of A to Z Sports shared in a post on X.
Steelers Hoping for Better Results After Jalen Ramsey’s Position Change
GettyJalen Ramsey was fined for a big hit he delivered to Michael Pittman Jr. in the Steelers’ win over the Colts
It was clear when the Steelers acquired Ramsey that he was not the same player he once was earlier in his career. However, he’s taken a notable step back this season, which has made things even more difficult for the rest of the team’s secondary. Not only should the move to safety help him hold up better in coverage, but it’s also worth noting that the team is already shorthanded at this spot thanks to injuries.
Pittsburgh earned a big win over Indianapolis last weekend, but it will have its work cut out for it in Week 10, as the team has a tough matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers on its hands. With this contest set to take place on Sunday Night Football, kickoff for this highly anticipated matchup is scheduled for 8:20 p.m. ET.
Everything Ben Johnson Had To Say After Come From Behind Win vs. Giants
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Ben Johnson watches on from the Chicago Bears sideline as his team earns another come from behind win
Maybe I’m starting to come off like a broken record, but I’ll write something I know I’ve already written a handful of times this season… why the heck can’t this Chicago Bears team play a normal football game? Must every game, whether it ends in a win or a loss, come down to the final possession? I just don’t know if my head or heart can take much more, but I suppose as long as the W’s keep piling up, I shouldn’t complain.
Despite trailing 20-10 at the halfway point of the 4th quarter, the Bears once again snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, scoring on back to back possessions to stun the New York Giants by the final score of 24-20. With the win, the Bears move to 6-3 and I, despite being born in 1992, have somehow aged 15 years over the last three months. I’m now 48 years old, and let me tell ya, I look great.
Also looking great is first-year head coach Ben Johnson, who has not only installed his offense to great success, but also managed to override the culture in Chicago. This is now a team that truly feels like they can win any game they’re within striking distance of, and that hasn’t been true of a team in Chicago in about 20 years.
Let’s kick it to Ben and see what he had to say when speaking to the media after the victory.
Ben Johnson’s Opening Statement… “I told the guys in the locker room a minute ago, it really feels like I’m on repeat here. These guys are finding a way to fight until the end and win these games. Once again, not our prettiest game. We had a number of things go on… It’s easy to feel the momentum swing in their favor, and yet, our guys didn’t waver. They stayed consistent with it and fought until the end.”
Good to know that I’m not the only one who feels like he’s on repeat. It’s uncanny how this team continues to find ways to win, especially after last season, when every single tight game went the other way. Call it law of averages if you’d like, but I’ll push back on that… there’s a collective character that this team possesses that the group just didn’t last year, and that has to be attributed to Ben Johnson and this staff, in addition to the 53 guys on the roster.
Johnson on Chicago’s sluggish starts and strong finishes… “I feel like that’s happened a few times for us now. The good news about it is our guys have this belief that we’re gonna find a way in the 4th quarter, provided it’s somewhat close, we’re gonna find a way to come out on top of this thing. Week in and week out they’re proving that. Now we’d like to take the next step as a football team where we’re up by a score or two, and we can shut teams out that way.”
There’s only been one game this season where Chicago had things in hand early on and stayed in control throughout, and that win over Dallas feels like it happened about 15 years ago… you know, back before I went from being 33 to 48 in the blink of an eye.
Johnson on New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart… “I think this quarterback that they have is gonna be a really good player for a long time.”
I second this. And let me tell you what, if Dart was in the game for that final drive instead of Russell Wilson, I would’ve been a whole lot more nervous about the outcome of this game.
Johnson on the arrival of CJ Gardner-Johnson… “I gave him one of the game balls and he kind of alluded to it, you get football taken away from you, which he felt like last couple months that’s his story, and now he’s here with a bunch of guys rooting for him and he’s grateful for the opportunity. He’s always been a phenomenal football player. I think he’s found a good home here in Chicago. Our guys are gravitating toward his swagger and play-making ability. I think he’s quickly becoming one of us.”
I did not have much hope for the CJ Gardner-Johnson experiment. I had covered CJGJ in Houston at the start of the season and saw how quickly that went sideways. But man, what a revelation he’s been for this team when they needed him most. In two games with Chicago, Gardner-Johnson has 15 tackles, 3 sacks and 3 tackles for loss.
Johnson on how the Bears defense can improve as the competition improves too… “Every week changes. I do think CJ’s presence, he’s gonna continue to get better within this scheme. Hopefully we get TJ back at some point. Up front, I gotta take a look at how Book did today, but Sweat’s really been coming on since the bye week. I can feel his presence out there. And then maybe we get some reinforcements in the back end there as well.”
That’s one thing that I believe has actually be under discussed throughout the season. This Bears defense, at full health, has the potential of being a really solid group. But there hasn’t been a point this season where they’ve been at full health. Any given week, at least expected starters have been missing, and these aren’t just any other guys. Jaylon Johnson, TJ Edwards and Kyler Gordon were probably the three defensive players most likely to make a Pro Bowl this season, and they’ve played a combined eight games.
Ben Johnson weighs in on the Chicago Bears offense
Johnson on all of the drops from Bears pass-catchers… “If it had been popping up in the course of practice I’d be more concerned, but as of right now I think it’s an anomaly and something that we’ll certainly talk about and address, but I don’t think that’s who we are.”
Perhaps my memory serves me incorrectly, but I do believe this was the first snow game of the NFL season. I’m not worried about the drops just yet. Let’s just not let it become a trend.
Johnson on Caleb Williams’ ability to evade pressure against the Giants… “He looks like a Houdini back there in the backfield, because that’s a really good pass-rushing front that’s given a lot of teams fits. There were times when he’s trying to escape and making some things happen. Over 50 yards again rushing for the second week in a row, and I thought in the 4th quarter there we really needed that as a shot in the arm to end up winning that ball game, so credit to him.”
If Caleb Williams wasn’t as shifty, savvy and strong in the pocket as he is, he would’ve been sacked at least 10 times today. And for that reason alone, I want to stand up on my soapbox and say, Passer Rating is a flawed stat, because Caleb’s today was 83.1 today, and that was one of the best games I’ve seen him play. A truly special performance that the numbers don’t do justice.
Johnson on getting Rome Odunze the ball more after midweek drama… “We always have a concerted effort to get Rome the ball, to get DJ the ball, to get Luther the ball, to get all these guys. All of these guys deserve to have the ball in their hands.”
Ben evaded that question like Caleb Williams was evading Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux all afternoon. Nicely done.
Johnson on being 6-3 despite having plenty of room for improvement… “I see improvement. Just offensively, you talk about playing clean football, I know we made a number of mistakes and the drops certainly popped up, but 3-for-4 in the red zone, we only had three penalties as a team here this week. Those are two areas that have really plagued us. Our red zone defense, we held them 1-for-4. I do see us still getting better each and every week. There’s growth each and every week right now. We gotta continue to get better, we’ve got some really good opponents coming up here, and we will be playing our best football in December.
I believe him.
