Who could blame Ja’Marr Chase for spitting in disgust at how awful this 2025 Cincinnati Bengals season has turned out?
Not to say Chase should have spat on Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Jalen Ramsey during Sunday’s 34-12 loss. That’s uncalled for in any context, and according to Ramsey, that’s what happened and led to their on-field altercation!
Jalen Ramsey says he threw punch because Ja’Marr Chase spit on him.
(: @bybrendanhowe, CBS) pic.twitter.com/cesVDvgcva
Before now, Chase didn’t strike me as the type of guy who’d spit on a dude. That was reflected in his response to the situation. Seems I was wrong in my assessment…
Ja’Marr Chase’s denial of spitting on Jalen Ramsey after the game indeed contradicted the latter’s testimony.
“Just exchanging words.” As for Jalen Ramsey accusing him of spitting, “I ain’t never opened my mouth to that guy…. I didn’t spit on nobody.” pic.twitter.com/YxKClKnuS8
Ramsey was irate at Chase to the point where he was ejected from the game. At least for a hot second, it was within the realm of possibility that Ramsey was just so fired up and perhaps embarrassed by his own conduct that he scapegoated Chase as a spitter.
That was only for a hot second, though. Soon it was obvious that Chase for sure spat on Ramsey.
Field-level view of the second altercation between Ja’Marr Chase and Jalen Ramsey. Chase said “I didn’t spit on nobody.”
Not much more to say or break down here. Terrible look for our guy Ja’Marr. Even worse to fib about it afterwards. It was really
Gutsy play. It backfired. Chase strikes me as the kind of guy who’d apologize for something like this. I’m sure as a locker room leader, it won’t go over well until he does and shows real remorse.
Now with all that said…
To reiterate, spitting on Jalen Ramsey was a classless act by Ja’Marr Chase here. Nevertheless, I guess the silver linings are as follows.
First, it adds to the comedy of errors that the Bengals’ 2025 campaign has been. Secondly, and most important, Ramsey and Chase are bonded together by this ridiculous incident, perhaps more so than any other exchange they’ll have in their careers.
Well that’s what I’m telling myself anyway.
Y’all know why, right? Need I remind? OK I will, painful as it is, because it underscores in a microcosmic way just how far afield the Bengals have gotten from the peak of the Chase-Joe Burrow-Zac Taylor era.
Ja’Marr Chase already was behind Jalen Ramsey on a go route when Ramsey fell on the fourth-and-1 game ender. If Burrow had a sliver more time … pic.twitter.com/uQfgqZ88P4
We were thisclose to the most glorious completed pass for a touchdown in NFL history at Ramsey’s expense. Instead, Aaron Donald did Aaron Donald things against an offensive line that Duke Tobin should be ashamed to have built around Burrow, and it cost the Bengals a Super Bowl win.
I think this started as a cutesy connection to make to Ramsey, and it was unclear at first if Chase did spit on him. Now it’s just making me feel worse about the whole thing.
Guess this is what 3-7 tastes like. I need a spit take before I drink more coffee to jet fuel my way through this gloomy game day in Who Dey Land.
There’s no place like road.
Coming off their latest uninspired effort at home, the Rangers (10-8-2) — who have won just one of nine games this season at Madison Square Garden — return to the cozy confines of hotel rooms and charter flights, carrying a six-game road win streak into a three-game western swing, beginning Tuesday in Las Vegas (8-4-6), then following with visits to Colorado (13-1-5) and Utah (10-7-1).
On paper, the slate gives off the appearance of one of the season’s tougher weeks, but logic isn’t welcome in any locker room occupied by the Rangers, who sport the league’s worst mark at home and the league’s best record on the road (9-1-1).
“We gotta keep doing our thing on the road,” defenseman Adam Fox said after Sunday’s 2-1 home loss to the Red Wings. “[It’s a] big trip, three really good teams. You want to stop losses at one and get back to winning.”
Mika Zibanejad controls the puck while on the power play during the Rangers’ Nov. 7 game against the Red Wings.
The team can be confident in the support between the pipes, with the elite tandem of former Vezina (Igor Shesterkin) and Conn Smythe (Jonathan Quick) winners combining to give the Rangers the league’s second-best GAA (2.45), entering Monday.
Though the offense has been abysmal at the Garden, averaging 1.4 goals per game, it has found rhythm almost anywhere else, scoring 3.45 goals per game on the road, partly fueled by the recent awakening of the Rangers power play.
Since going 0-for-12 with the man advantage in a five-game stretch, the Rangers have scored at least one power-play goal in five of their past six games, including the past four, in which they converted 4-of-9 opportunities.
Artemi Panarin tries to control the puck during the Rangers’ Nov. 12 game against the Lightning.
“It’s funny, we were talking about that our power play doesn’t look as good as it did when we weren’t scoring and here we are,” said Rangers assistant David Quinn who served as co-head coach in Mike Sullivan’s absence on Sunday. “One of things, obviously, we’ve been more opportunistic. We were dead last in the league. We were talking amongst ourselves — not only from a coaching standpoint but talking with the players — and there was a high level of frustration from the players’ standpoint because they felt like we were doing a lot of good things. To the eye test, our power play looked good, but we just weren’t scoring goals.
“Now we’re getting goals — I’m not saying we don’t look good at times — but we haven’t been as consistent on it. When we create chances and when we score, there’s a pace and a tempo to our game. We have a little bit of a 5-on-5 mentality, and when we’ve been generating offense and scoring goals on the power play, that’s what our approach has been. We’re taking advantage of the chances we’re getting and that’s the biggest thing.”
Quinn, the former Rangers head coach (2018-21), and assistant coach Joe Sacco, could split the lead duties again in Las Vegas.
Sullivan was a late scratch on Sunday due to a family matter and it is unclear when he will rejoin the team.
“It’s different,” Fox said of the dynamic without Sullivan. “I don’t think we’re gonna use that as an excuse. We’re gonna hope for the best with him. It’s an excuse that we could use, but obviously it doesn’t help when you’re missing your head coach.”