Rams' Odell Beckham Jr. makes NFL history against the Cardinals
During an eye opening play that was executed to perfection, the wide receiver achieved a unique first in the NFL history books.
There was a curious play involving the wide receiver during his team's Wild Card win over Arizona. Here's how it went down.
The Rams' OBJ turned up big
Though it may surprise some, Odell Beckham Jr. participated in a playoff game for only the second time in his career on Monday. That, however, is not to say he was overawed by the occasion, quite the opposite in fact. OBJ not only gave the fans their money's worth on the night but he made NFL history while doing so during the Rams' crushing 34-11 win over the Cardinals. Not a bad shift.
On several occasions Beckham obliged with massive plays, eventually ending with four catches on the night to the tune of 54 yards and a touchdown. There was, however, one play in particular which will definitely have the NFL community talking in the coming days. Indeed in what was probably the highlight of the night, Beckham became the center of attention when he actually threw the ball rather than fulfilling his usual role of catching it. The moment came in the third quarter after Rams coach Sean McVay called for a trick play, which resulted in Beckham throwing a 40-yard pass to Cam Akers. It was the move of the night and undoubtedly exceeded McVay's expectations.
How did Odell Beckham Jr. make history?
With his pass to Akers, Beckham became the first player in NFL playoff history to register both a 30-yard reception AND a 30-yard completion in the same game, the reception being a 31-yard catch in the second quarter. It should be noted that OBJ was also was the player who scored the first touchdown of the game, after receiving a four yard pass from Matthew Stafford in the first quarter. As was said before, he had a big night. Of course Beckham's joy was plain to see. Its been quite a long time since the wide receiver played in the post season, indeed not since 2017 when he was on the losing end with the Giants as they fell 38-13 against the Packers.
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Beckham was of course with the Browns last season when they made the playoffs, however, he was unavailable having not yet returned from a lengthy absence due to a torn ACL in October of 2020. Given the the controversy surrounding his now infamous exit from the Browns, it would seem Beckham has placed the negativity behind him. The Rams of course will be most welcoming of the fact and more over hoping that when they face the defending champion Buccaneers next, he can replicate the heroics of their most recent game.