Carolina Panthers’ Greg Olsen (88) runs away from New York Giants’ Craig Dahl (43) for a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 20, 2015, in East Rutherford, N.J.
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Odell Beckham Jr.’s on-field antics against the Carolina Panthers may keep him sidelined during Week 16.
One of the most anticipated matchups of the season was the one between Beckham and cornerback Josh Norman of the Carolina Panthers.
The major incident came during the second half when Beckham launched himself at Panthers cornerback Josh Norman, spearing into the Carolina defensive player’s head in an ugly helmet-to-helmet clash.
Carolina, led by their dual threat quarterback Cam Newton, rolled to a 35-7 lead late in the third quarter but due to mistakes, penalties and some inspired NY play, the Giants scored 28 unanswered points to turn the rout into a 35-35 nail biter with 2:31 left.
Making matters worse for the Panthers, it was Beckham who made a 14-yard touchdown catch to forge a 35-35 deadlock.
The glaring misdeed – the one that will be the catalyst if a suspension is handed down – happened late in the third quarter on the tail end of a 19-yard gain on a screen pass by Shane Vereen. But Beckham might have gotten too emotional: He beat Norman deep on the opening drive but dropped a sure touchdown pass from Eli Manning.
“I’m just trying to learn, get better and help the team win”, Johnson said. We have seen a few instances this season – punished and unpunished – where Beckham has lost his temper. “He came back and was hunting, and it was just, like, malicious in every way”. “And we’ve got a tricky week with Christmas”.
Newton broke a read-option run 47 yards in the first quarter to the Giants’ 3.
According to the stats gurus, the Kansas City Chiefs became the first National Football League team to follow a five-game skid with eight successive wins in the same campaign.
No, it’s not. But there’s also a right way to lose, and this time, Beckham failed. Both had been flagged for unnecessary roughness and pass interference penalties, and Norman had done an effective job shutting down the Giants’ star receiver. “We started to get scrappy and there was no reason to do that”, he said, adding that he was referring to the team and not just Norman.
While the Giants are mathematically alive for a playoff berth, they must now defeat the Minnesota Vikings (9-5) next week to have any chance of saving their season. “We get so caught up in what we do you forget how many people are involved – the fans, the people that have been part of the stadium that make all these memories we have”.
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Beckham, who was fined for throwing a punch at a Buffalo Bills player during a game in October, had to learn how to maintain his composure, said coach Tom Coughlin. I think he needs to grow. The road to a division title might be hard, though, Washington’s final two games are on the road at Philadelphia and arch-rival Dallas.
