Cincinnati Bengals star Ja’Marr Chase addressed his tense fourth-quarter clash with Steelers' Jalen Ramsey, offering his side of the incident as the league begins its review
19:24 ET, 16 Nov 2025Updated 19:25 ET, 16 Nov 2025
Chase appeared to spit on Ramsey in Week 11
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Chase appeared to spit on Ramsey in Week 11(Image: FOX19)
Rivalry games rarely lack drama, but Sunday’s matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals produced a flashpoint that quickly became the most talked-about moment of Week 11.
A fourth-quarter confrontation, one that mirrored a similar spitting incident from the Eagles' Jalen Carter, between Bengals star Ja’Marr Chase and Steelers cornerback Jalen Ramsey boiled over into an ejection, accusations, and now league review, all overshadowing what was already an emotional divisional battle.
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The tense sequence unfolded with just over 13 minutes remaining in Pittsburgh’s 34–12 win. After a short-yardage stop, Chase and Ramsey engaged after the whistle, grabbing facemasks and jawing, something the two had been doing since the first half.
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Officials flagged both for unsportsmanlike conduct and warned them that any further incident would result in disqualification. On the very next play, the situation erupted. As the teams reset at the line, Chase appeared to spit in Ramsey’s direction.
Ramsey immediately swung, punching Chase in retaliation. Officials caught the punch, but not the spit, and ejected Ramsey while Chase remained in the game.
CBS’ broadcast captured the punch but did not show the alleged spit, though clearer on-field video surfaced after the game verifying that Chase did spit.
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Before that video circulated, both players addressed reporters separately, and offered two very different accounts.
“He spit on me. So it’s up,” Ramsey said bluntly. “I don’t give a f--- about football after that. Respectfully.”
Chase, meanwhile, firmly denied the allegation. “I ain’t never opened my mouth to that guy,” Chase said. “I didn’t spit on nobody.”
Chase finished with just three catches against the Steelers
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Chase finished with just three catches against the Steelers(Image: Getty)
He instead characterized their clashes as standard trash talk between two emotional competitors: “He didn’t like some of the words I told him. We’d been going back and forth the whole time, so I’m sure something got under his skin.”
Officials admitted postgame that the crew had not seen any spit. “We did not see anything that rose to that level at all,” referee Bill Vinovich told pool reporter Brian Batko.
The NFL confirmed it will review the incident further, and Chase is expected to face follow-up questions, and possibly discipline, now that video evidence has surfaced.
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The altercation briefly swung momentum Cincinnati’s way. Ramsey’s penalty turned what would have been a fourth-and-1 into a first down, putting the Bengals at Pittsburgh’s 29-yard line. But a Nick Herbig sack stalled the drive, leading to a field goal instead of a touchdown and keeping the deficit at 20–12.
From there, Pittsburgh took control. Mason Rudolph, replacing an injured Aaron Rodgers, led a steady fourth-quarter attack. Kenneth Gainwell broke multiple tackles on his way to his second touchdown of the game, and a late Bengals fumble returned for a score sealed the win. The Steelers improved to 6–4 and maintained their lead in the AFC North, despite losing Warren, Rodgers, and Ramsey.
The Bengals, now 3–7, moved further from the playoff picture as they await Joe Burrow’s return. But the fallout from the Chase-Ramsey clash may follow them into next week, long after the final whistle.