Defensive back Jalen Ramsey selflessly filled in at safety to help the Pittsburgh Steelers secure a key victory against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 9. But Ramsey’s impact went far beyond just his positional flexibility.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers revealed after Sunday’s game that Ramsey addressed the team the night before kickoff. While Rodgers declined to share the exact details of the speech, he emphasized that Ramsey’s words played a crucial role in Pittsburgh’s commanding 27-20 win over the Colts.
“I noticed that something kind of changed last night when Jalen [Ramsey] spoke,” Rodgers told reporters. “It’s not easy to speak in front of the team even when you’re a player. It’s unnatural. Coaches are used to it. They do it every day. Mike [Tomlin] is fantastic about it.
“Jalen went on and on. Had the attention in the room. He said good stuff. I’m not going to get into it. It’s kind of need-to-know information. It was meaningful to me on the offensive side. I felt like we had a different energy in the locker room today.”
Rodgers did provide one key insight into Ramsey’s message: “The only peek into the conversation last night was that he wanted us to play with the edge on defense. Didn’t feel like we were doing that enough. And they played with an edge today for sure.
“Really thankful that Jalen is here, and that he felt comfortable speaking up and then the guys responded the right way.”
### Jalen Ramsey Leads Steelers Defensive Turnaround
In recent weeks, the Steelers defense has faced heavy criticism, including from within its own ranks. Defensive captain Cameron Heyward expressed frustration after the Week 8 loss to the Green Bay Packers, saying the defense lacked fight and wasn’t responding well to adversity.
Whether Ramsey’s speech echoed those sentiments remains unknown, but Rodgers clearly felt the cornerback’s leadership made a difference.
“Got to give 5 [Jalen Ramsey] a lot of credit for his leadership the last 24 hours. I haven’t seen the film,” Rodgers said. “But the eye test felt like he was in the right place at the right time on defense, and we were opportunistic. Really proud of those guys.”
Ramsey finished the game against the Colts with five tackles. Several were hard-hitting plays, including one that resulted in a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness on a defenseless receiver. While such aggression underscores his effort, it will be important for the veteran to avoid crossing the line with future hits.
Nonetheless, Ramsey clearly set a motivated tone before the game and backed it up throughout Week 9.
### Steelers Debut New Safety Tandem
Due to the absence of starting safety DeShon Elliott and other backups, the Steelers moved Ramsey to the back end of the secondary out of necessity. Additionally, the team recently acquired veteran safety Kyle Dugger from the New England Patriots, and Dugger saw significant playing time on Sunday as well.
The duo played nearly every defensive snap together—Ramsey was on the field for all 73 defensive snaps, while Dugger missed just one. This new safety tandem proved highly effective.
The Steelers defense notably contained MVP candidate Jonathan Taylor and limited the impact of tight ends, who exploited Pittsburgh’s defense the previous week.
In Week 9, many things changed for the Steelers defense, with Ramsey’s leadership and the emergence of a new safety combination playing a big part. This development could represent an important step forward for Pittsburgh moving ahead.
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