Games between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals never involve pleasantries. The AFC North rivalry features a litany of tense moments. But Sunday's contest involved a spitting incident between Jalen Ramsey and the Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase.
The Steelers defensive back and Chase got tangled up during this moment — which later saw Ramsey slug Chase with a punch.
Ja'Marr Chase and Jalen Ramsey with some pushing and shoving pic.twitter.com/UDwrA6Ji2p
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 16, 2025
Ramsey eventually got ejected from the contest. However, the Steelers defender shared a different account — claiming it was the Bengals WR who spit on him.
#Steelers DB Jalen Ramsey on what led to him punching Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase. #HereWeGo pic.twitter.com/JobLuCWV9X
— Brendan Howe (@bybrendanhowe) November 16, 2025
Ramsey added how he saw Chase snap his mouth piece and then later spit on him. The DB is hoping that the NFL league office will dish out a punishment for the Bengals star too.
Still, Ramsey received a rare ejection during the game. His Steelers still rolled to the 34-12 rout of the rival Bengals. But “spit gate” became a big postgame topic.
Jalen Ramsey vs. Ja'Marr Chase sparks reactions after Steelers/Bengals
The confrontation prompted a reaction from Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.
“I didn't see it. It doesn't matter — we gotta be smarter,” Tomlin told reporters.
Yet Chase denies that he spit on Ramsey, saying “I don't know about that.”
Ja’Marr Chase said he didn’t spit on Jalen Ramsey.
On the altercation that led to Ramsey’s ejection: pic.twitter.com/q5TbQ9fEov
— Charlie Clifford (@char_cliff) November 16, 2025
Chase managed to catch three passes total for only 30 yards. His longtime teammate Tee Higgins caught the same number of catches, but totaled 63 yards. Cincy watched Chase Brown become the more productive offensive player — carrying the ball 18 times for 99 yards.
Ramsey, meanwhile, finished with two tackles on the day. Fellow free agent addition Kyle Dugger delivered a pick six of Joe Flacco in the game. Pittsburgh continued its lead in the AFC North by improving to 6-4 overall. But now must brace for whatever league discipline comes Ramsey's way.
