Jalen Ramsey’s winning mentality sets the tone for Miami’s victory over New England

Jalen Ramsey kicked the doors down with an interception and forced fumble in his season debut, Miami’s 31-17 win over the New England Patriots. The three-time first-team All-Pro intercepted quarterback Mac Jones in the second quarter, picking up where he left off as a Super Bowl champion with the Los Angeles Rams.

A difference-maker in the secondary, Ramsey and the Dolphins held Jones to just two touchdowns and 5.6 yards per pass attempt. Kendrick Bourne led the Patriots with 36 receiving yards on four targets.

“Dude literally called his shot,” wide receiver Tyreek Hill said of Ramsey after Sunday’s game. “He was like, look, I’m going to catch a pick in this game, and bro, he’s next level. I’m just so glad I’m not playing against the guy no more because the edge and just everything that he brings, man, the mentality is next level. You feel me?

“It’s dope to see him back doing it already, like forcing fumbles and just locking down the whole side. I like that. It’s dope to see it. For him to add that to his story, it’s even better. That makes it even better.”

Ramsey, who was selected No. 5 overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2016 NFL draft, forced Ezekiel Elliot to fumble with a heavy hit early in the second quarter. The ball bounced out of bounds before it could be recovered.

“It felt good,” Ramsey said following the win. “Don’t get it twisted, I’m happy I had an interception, but I definitely don’t want that to be the storyline. I just want to talk about how we got a good hard-fought division win. My success, it comes from the preparation that I put in and the team around me.

“It’s not just me. I work really hard during the week to prepare myself to feel like Jalen Ramsey and it’s just a product of it. But it was a great, hard-fought win for the team, so that was dope.”

From the moment he stepped onto the field, the six-time Pro Bowl cornerback set the tone as Miami held New England to 17 points for the second time this season.

“I mean, it’s awesome to be able to have that guy out there,” quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said. “It was one of the coolest walk-outs I’ve seen from any Miami Dolphin player since I’ve been here when he just walked out through the smoke and did his deal and the crowd went wild. And then to top it off, he got an interception. He got a forced fumble. All of those things.

“The hype is real when it comes to someone like Jalen Ramsey.”