Sunday was a great day of football. Chargers players and fans mingled after what may have been the last game every played at Qualcomm Stadium. Cardinals rookie running back David Johnson reeled off the best touchdown run of the season. And in New York, the Giants came back from a 28-point deficit to nearly knock off the undefeated Panthers, who kicked a field goal as time expired to stave off what could have been an embarrassing loss.
Why didn’t the Giants rein in Odell Beckham Jr.?
The Giants might have done a disservice to their star wideout by letting him play.
The best subplot of Panthers-Giants was the feud that brewed this past week between Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and Panthers cornerback Josh Norman. The two are arguably the best at what they do in the NFL right now, and the on-field matchup certainly lived up to the hype. Norman bottled up Beckham until late, when Beckham shook Norman to tie the game on a 14-yard touchdown, 35-35, in the fourth quarter.
Unfortunately, the two weren’t content to contain their battles during play. Beckham, in particular, went overboard, blindsiding Norman with a helmet-to-helmet hit that should have resulted in his ejection. Norman and his teammates were furious at Beckham after the game (with Cam Newton a notable exception), calling on the NFL to punish Beckham’s “malicious” hit. The NFL front office reportedly agreed with Norman and many others that Beckham should have been ejected.
Beckham lost his cool, but, as SB Nation’s Thomas George wrote, the Giants did nothing to help the young wideout by refusing to rein him in. Head coach Tom Coughlin said it was a learning experience for Beckham. Panthers head coach Ron Rivera said something similar about Norman. More likely, the coaches wanted to make sure they had their best players on the field, which have been a disservice to the players.
SB Nation presents: Odell Beckham Jr. deserves suspension
WHAT HAPPENED SUNDAY: Besides the Norman vs. Beckham title match, there was plenty happening on Sunday in the NFL.
AT LEAST PATRICK PETERSON HAD FUN: The Cardinals steamrolled the Eagles on Sunday Night Football and are in great shape in the latest playoff picture as a result. Peterson had a blast dancing and trolling Eagles fans from the sideline. The 6-8 Eagles and Giants are now looking up at 7-7 Washington in the NFC East standings.
BECAUSE GIANTS FANS DIDN’T: They were fighting each other inside the bathrooms at MetLife Stadium.
BRONCOS BOW OUT: Granted there are worse things than losing to a hot Steelers team, but blowing two straight double-digit halftime leads should be cause for concern for the Broncos. Brock Osweiler threw a late interception, but it’s hard to blame him too much when his targets were dropping passes all game.
FOILED: Jordan Norwood made one of the most head’s up plays of the season on a punt return, and it was foiled by his own teammates, who stepped onto the field too early and nullified a superb 71-yard touchdown.
SO, SO SAD: The Texans finally got a win in Indianapolis, but they won the saddest game imaginable. Brandon Weeden got the better of Charlie Whitehurst in a battle of third string quarterbacks, but the biggest loser was all of us who watched.
NEW DRAFT ORDER: The Titans held on to the No. 1 pick, just barely staving off the Browns because of their strength of schedule. Both teams are 3-11.
TRUCK STICK: Delanie Walker’s bulldozing touchdown was almost as sweet as Johnson’s.
LESEAN MCCOY HURT: LeSean McCoy hasn’t caught many breaks this season. A serious knee injury would be terrible news.
MELVIN GORDON HURT: The Chargers rookie suffered a knee injury on Sunday. No word yet on his status.
MMARSHAWN: Marshawn Lynch has taken up MMA training in hopes of coming back during the regular season.
REMEMBER HIM? RG3 could draw interest from the Cowboys and Eagles, who are among several teams likely to vie for his services during the offseason.
JUNK SCIENCE: Tom Brady’s close friendship with health guru Alex Guerrero raises many questions. Like: How does anyone believe some of his health claims, and why are the Patriots paying him so much money when their own training staff doesn’t like him?
NSFW: Chip Kelly loves spread formations and NSFW hand signals.
POCKET QB: Look at Russell Wilson working in the pocket here.
PHOTO FINISH: Did you know that we’re on Instagram, too?
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SB Nation presents: Cam Newton is indestructible
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