Madden Monday: Jalen Ramsey can't allow himself to get ejected even if Ja'Marr Chase spat on him

Despite his protests to the contrary, video indicates that Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase spat on Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Jalen Ramsey during their on-field confrontation Sunday.

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

After that fracas during the Steelers’ 34-12 win, Ramsey was ejected.

“He spit on me. So, what’s up? I don’t give a (expletive) about football after that, respectfully,” Ramsey told reporters after the game.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin says Ramsey shouldn’t have reacted that way, even if Chase was guilty of spitting.

“We’ve got to be smarter. We’ve got to stay in football games as individuals,” Tomlin said in his postgame press conference.

In this case, Mark Madden of TribLive and 105.9 The X agrees with Tomlin.

“Nobody cares that your manhood was challenged,” Madden said during this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast. “I’ve never understood why spitting on somebody is this unpardonable sin. I can think of many things that would offend me a lot more. You’ve got to stay in the game. It’s one thing if that happens to me in a bar, and the only person’s honor you’re defending — the only guy you’re worried about — is yourself. In this case, you’re trying to win a game. You’re short in the secondary. Like Tomlin said, you’ve got to be smarter.”

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Madden says Ramsey overreacted.

“If Chase spit on him, so what? It’s water, not battery acid,” Madden replied. “You’ve just got to live with it. Stay in there, help your teammates and win the game.”

The other big story from that game was quarterback Mason Rudolph stepping in for an injured Aaron Rodgers to pilot the second half of the victory in relief.

“I thought Rudolph was better in the pocket than Rodgers has been, certainly lately,” Madden said. “He stood tall in the pocket. He wasn’t afraid to take a hit to make a play. He’s bigger, he’s stronger. So I think there’s a lot to like about Mason Rudolph.”

Madden says that Rudolph filling in for Rodgers in the short term may not be a bad idea.

“I don’t think the team’s any worse off with Mason Rudolph than they are with Aaron Rodgers — not the way Aaron Rodgers played at L.A. (last week) and again (Sunday) before exiting due to injury,” Madden said. “I would go back to (Rodgers) when he’s available, when he’s healthy. But I think a game off or two might actually do him some good, have him rejuvenate physically.”

Also, during the podcast, Madden and I talk about the defense’s performance against Cincinnati. We get into Pitt’s loss to Notre Dame. And we discuss the Penguins’ trip to Sweden.