The Steelers and Bengals' Week 11 divisional clash took a turn for the worst early in the fourth quarter. With both sides locked in a competitive affair, Pittsburgh safety Jalen Ramsey was ejected after throwing a punch at Cincinnati wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase.
The incident was the crescendo in a day filled with quarrels between the two stars. They found themselves at odds from the opening salvo.
Initially, Ramsey appeared to mimic a pugilist purely out of spite for Chase, who he had helped hold relatively quiet throughout the day. It wasn't until later that evidence revealed the true nature of Ramsey and Chase's conflict.
With that, here's what you need to know about the moments before Ramsey's punch — including whether Chase did, indeed, spit at Ramsey.
MORE WEEK 11 NEWS:
Did Ja'Marr Chase spit on Jalen Ramsey?
Chase denied spitting on Ramsey postgame. Video evidence would suggest otherwise.
Field-level view of the second altercation between Ja'Marr Chase and Jalen Ramsey. Chase said "I didn't spit on nobody."
The video clearly shows he did.#Bengals @FOX19 pic.twitter.com/ooGzInoPdS
— Austin Briski (@austin_briski) November 16, 2025
The video lines up with what various Steelers players said following Sunday's game. Cameron Heyward had strong words for Chase when he spoke with reporters.
"Two competitors but one guy took it too far," Heyward said. "Our guy got penalized but if you’re going to spit on a guy, you don’t belong in the game. Hopefully the NFL handles it."
What did Ja'Marr Chase say about Jalen Ramsey spitting incident?
Chase was adamant that he didn't hock a loogie towards Ramsey while speaking with reporters postgame.
"I didn't spit on nobody," Chase proclaimed.
“I didn’t spit on nobody.”
Here is what Ja'Marr Chase had to say about his altercation with Jalen Ramsey: pic.twitter.com/PRRnqWt4kw
— Noah Hiles (@_NoahHiles) November 16, 2025
Jalen Ramsey vs. Ja'Marr Chase video
Here's a look at the video of Ramsey and Chase's get-together, from Chase's spit to Ramsey's ensuing punch.
Field-level view of the second altercation between Ja'Marr Chase and Jalen Ramsey. Chase said "I didn't spit on nobody."
The video clearly shows he did.#Bengals @FOX19 pic.twitter.com/ooGzInoPdS
— Austin Briski (@austin_briski) November 16, 2025
Why was Jalen Ramsey ejected?
Ramsey faced the wrath of the refereeing crew after throwing a punch at Chase. He was summarily handed an unsporstsmanslike conduct penalty for his actions and tossed from the fixture. The subsequent pool report indicated that Ramsey was, indeed, thrown out of the game for punching Chase. Importantly, referee Bill Vinovich told the pool reporter that he didn't see Chase spit at Ramsey. If the crew were to have witnessed the full altercation, it seems reasonable to believe they would have levied a similar punishment at the Bengals wideout.
Pool report with referee Bill Vinovich indicates the officiating crew didn’t see Chase spit:
“No, obviously we did not. We did not see anything that rose to that level at all.” pic.twitter.com/thzuqTSZvu
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) November 16, 2025
Will NFL suspend Ja'Marr Chase?
Chase avoided punishment during Sunday's game. It's unlikely he'll be able to do so for much longer. He's likely to be suspended for his actions.