Steelers' Cam Heyward Roasts Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers played a rock-solid game in Week 11, helping them to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals and secure their sixth win of the season. It was a drastically different performance from the Steelers than in their first meeting. They turned the tables defensively, allowing just 12 points to the Bengals en route to the win.

The difference for the Steelers was the way they mitigated the Bengals' wide receiver trio, especially superstar Ja'Marr Chase. They limited one of the NFL's greatest pass-catchers to just three receptions for 30 yards and zero touchdowns, a far cry from the 16 receptions and 161 yards he posted in their previous battle. It was a shutdown performance from the Steelers' defense, and their captain, Cam Heyward, had plenty to say after the victory.

Man With a Plan

Speaking on his podcast, Not Just Football with Cam Heyward, the Steelers captain called out the Bengals receiver. Chase told reporters after the team's Week 7 victory that they knew what the Steelers would bring defensively, which helped them turn in that monstrous performance.

This time around, Heyward made it clear that the team had a plan for Chase. Not only did they arrive with a plan to stop the superstar, they executed it perfectly. With the season series split and the Steelers holding the latest victory, Heyward called out Chase's Week 7 comments.

"After the first game, it was talk about, 'Oh we know what they were gonna do..'" Heyward stated. "You ain't know what to do when we had a plan for you a**."

Football player escorted off the field after being ejecte — Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Jalen Ramsey (5) is pushed away from a skirmish before being ejected in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 11 game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025. The Bengals lost 34-12. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jalen Ramsey Defense Continues

Heyward also took the opportunity on his show to discuss the incident between Chase and Steelers safety Jalen Ramsey. The receiver spat on Ramsey during a skirmish on the field and Ramsey retaliated by trying to punch Chase in the face. Ramsey was ejected from the game and Chase was handed a one-game suspension that costs him nearly $400,000 of his salary.

Chase maintains his innocence, but the Steelers' entire team and coaching staff has had Ramsey's back and come to his defense. Heyward elaborated a bit on what happened from his perspective during the incident.

"Jalen came to me during that and was telling me he got spit on," Heyward explained. "So as the captain and as a leader, you want to handle that because it can be misconstrued that Jalen was just popping of."

The words from Heyward are very similar to the defense head coach Mike Tomlin recently gave. At this weekly press conference, Tomlin stated that he had no message for Ramsey in response to the incident, instead placing the blame on the actions Chase took.

"I have no message if someone spits on your face," he told reporters. "Do what comes natural."

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