Odell Beckham Jr. called Eagles loss was “a step in the right direction”
Odell Beckham Jr. appeared to have found his mojo.
The New York Giants receiver took advantage of a depleted Philadelphia Eagles secondary with nine receptions for 79 yards and two touchdowns. His second touchdown was the 300th reception of his career.
It wasn’t enough as the Giants lost 27-24, their sixth loss in seven games against the Eagles, dropping them to 0-3.
The 24 points the Giants scored broke a streak of eight consecutive games dating back to last season on which they failed to score 20 points. Because of the scoring output, which included 21 unanswered points, OBJ sees Sunday’s game as a silver lining.
“This was the first step of progress we had as far as team unity, playing all three phases,” Beckham said. “We didn’t finish all three phases, and as hard as it is to take the positives, this was a step in the right direction.”
Beckham’s first touchdown seemed to fire up the Giants as it made the score 14-7. Then he does the unthinkable: he crawled on all fours in the end zone and lifted up his leg as if to simulate a dog urinating. Beckham was hit with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which meant the Giants had to kick from the 20-yard line on the ensuing kickoff.
The Eagles were unable to take advantage of field position because safety Landon Collins knocked the ball away from Eagles tight end Zach Ertz and it was recovered by cornerback Eli Apple. Still, head coach Ben McAdoo was not happy about having to kick off from the 20-yard line. Beckham brushed off his head coach’s frustration.
“I was in the end zone. I’m a dog so I acted like a dog,” he said. “I don’t know if the rule book said you can’t hike your leg. I was trying to find the imaginary ghost I peed on and I couldn’t find it. I don’t make the calls. I just play football. It didn’t end up being detrimental.
“When I get in the end zone, I do what I do. I’m going to try to spark this team. The consequences are going to be what they are. We were motivated from that. I don’t think this set us back any.”
It didn’t set the team back any because of the play of Collins and Apple. The Giants were already fired up from the touchdown. Beckham didn’t have to draw an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that could have been costly…something he fails to grasp.
Only three teams have started 0-3 and made the playoffs since the NFL adopted its current playoff format in 1990. The Giants are not out of the playoff picture after three games but need to win at least 10 of their final 13 games as the three teams who started 0-3 that made the postseason all posted at least 10 wins.
Beckham said he felt good after the game but tired. He said his ankle is no longer an issue. Beckham also doesn’t care that history is against the Giants.
“I mean you still have 13 more games,” he said. “If you win 13 and you’re 13-3, you should be in the playoffs, that’s the bottom line. History was really meant to be re-written and broken in every single way. So, again, I’m not going to sit here and panic. It’s a long season. You’re going to keep playing. What are we supposed to do, stop playing at Week 4?”
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