MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Jalen Ramsey in Sunday’s Miami Dolphins victory over the Las Vegas Raiders played the cornerback position about as well as humanly possible.
And he did so at still far less than 100%.
That should send shivers down the spine of Zach Wilson and every other quarterback on the Dolphins’ schedule.
“Oh, he’s a dawg,” Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill said. “He’s the best corner in the league.”
Two-Pick Day by Miami Dolphins’ Jalen Ramsey
After Sunday’s performance, there’s a real chance that Hill is right.
Ramsey had two more interceptions Sunday — both of the acrobatic variety — and allowed just two catches for 23 yards on eight targets.
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In his three games back from a knee injury that Ramsey suffered in July, he has allowed completions on just 35.7% of his targets, 4.3 yards per attempt, has a staggering 21.4% interception rate, and an absurd 10.1 passer rating.
And yet, Raiders rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell tested Ramsey deep in the final moments of Sunday’s game, trying to sneak a pass to Tre Tucker in the end zone. Ramsey baited O’Connell into the throw and then closed to make a marvelous, game-ending play.
“I’m really hoping they throw at him, honestly,” Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said. “I mean, both interceptions were out of control in difficulty level. You could see him on the first one, see the ball, and he was the aggressor.”
Jalen Ramsey is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO BACK pic.twitter.com/gtL8TBmc7b
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 19, 2023
“I think he was behind the receiver on an in-break, and he bypasses him to get that thumbs-together catch that he’s diving for that — a lot of receivers don’t make that reception,” McDaniel said. “Then to track the ball down the field, and to get contacted in the moment of truth and hang on to the ball, I mean, it’s huge.
“I think the whole team has gotten a little bit better to a degree since he’s been on our team or since he’s been back, and that’s the type of effect that players of that caliber can have on people.”
#Dolphins CB Jalen Ramsey picks off Aidan O’Connell 😮💨#FinsUp
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) November 19, 2023
And Ramsey is doing this at less than 100%. How far less? That’s unknown. But he acknowledged Sunday that conditioning will be an issue until he gets totally back into football shape.
“[The knee] definitely still has room to grow,” Ramsey said. “I get fatigued a little bit, in the second half a little bit. Just my body overall. I do feel great. I feel extremely great. Put in a lot of hard work. But at the same time, the only way to get ready for football and be really in football shape, and feel like the guy I am is to play more football, and this is only my third game.
“Technically I’m just now ending my training camp preseason really, and then I’ve got to continue to grow.”
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