The Pittsburgh Steelers moved swiftly Sunday afternoon after defensive back Jalen Ramsey was ejected for throwing a punch at Ja’Marr Chase during a heated fourth-quarter exchange that instantly went viral across the NFL world. The penalty flipped momentum, ignited fan outrage online, and raised immediate questions about whether the league would issue a suspension.
But before the NFL office could even comment, the Steelers made their move.
The team issued internal discipline mirroring the type of penalty used in previous high-profile conduct cases. According to team officials,
Ramsey accepted the fine and left the stadium without public comment, though multiple teammates privately called the situation “messy,” insisting the broadcast didn’t capture the full picture.
And GM Omar Khan made sure the full picture reached the league office.
In a firm but measured statement, Khan defended the franchise’s accountability while demanding fairness in how league discipline is handled.
“Ramsey has been held accountable,” Khan said. “His actions do not reflect the standards we expect. But after reviewing the tape, we also saw Chase spitting at Ramsey first and repeatedly provoking him. I’m urging the NFL to take a closer look, because respect has to go both ways.”
Khan’s strategy is clear. By disciplining the player internally and presenting evidence of mutual provocation, Pittsburgh hopes to pre-empt a league suspension that could weaken the defense heading into a crucial stretch of the season.
The incident adds yet another layer to the heated Steelers-Bengals rivalry, already known for emotional swings, hard hits, and moments that toe the line of control. As the league reviews the footage, Pittsburgh braces for the next chapter in what has become a season-defining storyline.
The Kansas City Chiefs are left trying to pick up the pieces of a broken season after a crushing loss to the AFC West-leading Denver Broncos on Sunday. But one of those pieces it now appears will not be a fan favorite, 324-pound former Chiefs third-round draft pick — a player who both fans and former teammate were lobbying hard to get back into the Kansas City family after more than two years away.
In general, the Chiefs’ defense has not been the main reason that the defending AFC champions now sit at 5-5, 2 1/2 games off the Broncos’ pace in their division, and with their chances to make the playoffs at all looking increasingly grim.
After the devastating 22-19 loss to Denver, the Chiefs now occupy the ninth seed in the AFC, and the four teams ahead of them all own tiebreakers over Kansas City.
But the Chiefs’ defense ranks sixth in the NFL in terms of least yards allowed (2,968) and third in fewest points surrendered (181). And that may be why Chiefs general manager Brett Veach has not been among the front office executives calling to express interest in signing free agent tackle Khalen “Bink” Saunders. At least, he hasn’t according to a report on Monday morning by NFL insider Jordan Schultz, .
If the Chiefs manage to get into the playoffs, two of those teams — the Baltimore Ravens and Indianapolis Colts — would be likely opponents. In fact, the Chiefs face the 9-2 Colts in the regular season next Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.
But later Monday, NFL Network correspondent Tom Pelissero reported that Saunders would sign in New York.
“Veteran DT Khalen Saunders is expected to sign with the Jets, per sources,” Pelissero wrote. “The two-time Super Bowl champion is the latest veteran addition in New York, where Aaron Glenn is working to the build the culture.”
Also on Monday, Saunders himself appeared to confirm that he will not be returning to the Chiefs.
“Sorry y’all, I tried,” Saunders wrote in his social media account. “If only the fans were the front office. Maybe one day tho who knows.”
Saunders was drafted 84th overall by Kansas City in 2019 out of Western Illinois. After four years, 38 games and two Super Bowl rings, Saunders left the organization to sign as a free agent with the New Orleans Saints.
He lasted just two seasons and 30 games with the Saints before they shipped him to Jacksonville in exchange for offensive lineman Luke Fortner in August.
But New Orleans coach Liam Coen never had much use for Saunders, putting him into only two games this year before handing the 29-year-old St. Louis native his walking papers last week.
With the NFL trade deadline now history, all players who are released by their teams must pass through waivers where they can be claimed by any other team. But in Saunders’ case no one made a waiver claim. On Friday the seven-year veteran became a free agent.
Though the Chiefs are obviously experiencing their worst season of the Patrick Mahomes era, the overall sturdiness of the Kansas City defense may be one reason why Veach has not — at least not according to Schultz’s information — made an attempt to reacquire Saunders, even though several of the defensive tackle’s former teammates who remain on this year’s edition of the Chiefs have openly called for his return.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs’ situation appears dire. Not only is their nine-year streak of AFC West titles almost certain to come to an end, with The Athletic‘s mathematical playoff probability formula giving them just a 10 percent chance, their probability of making the playoffs at all sunk to 57 percent after Sunday’s loss, per