The New York Giants weren’t surprised that Odell Beckham Jr. got suspended for his on-field antics in the loss to the Carolina Panthers and mostly messing with Josh Norman, but they certainly aren’t happy with the fact that their most important offensive player won’t be playing as they’ll be trying to keep their playoff hopes alive against the Minnesota Vikings.
Beckham is appealing, and will know the result of his appeal in a couple of days. He was flagged three times for personal fouls during the game, fighting with Norman and Cortland Finnegan all game long. Both Panthers defensive backs were also flagged in the game, but Beckham stood out in his stupidity and actions, especially running a good length of the field to deliver a helmet to helmet hit on Norman, which should have been enough to have him thrown out. Beckham actually lasting the entire game is an excellent example of how poorly the grasp of the officials was on the game.
This isn’t the first time Beckham has allowed frustration to get the best of him. He was throwing punches all game long in his on field grapples and scuffles with Panthers players. In a win this season against the Buffalo Bills Beckham was accused by Bills players for doing exactly the same thing. Safe to say, none of the Bills players came onto the field with a bat, like a Panthers did before the game, in order to make Beckham lose control, which he did.
There’s no need to really dive into how important Beckham is to the Giants, who rely heavily on their passing game. He’s been outstanding in his two seasons in the league, completing 182 receptions for 2701 yards and 25 touchdowns. Even in a bad performance like he had against the Panthers, he still managed 76 yards on six receptions and a game-tying touchdown. He might not be the best receiver in the NFL just yet, but the first round pick in 2014 is close to getting there.
The Giants are losing him at the worst time possible. With a 6-8 record, they need to win their two remaining games (at Vikings, home against Eagles) and for the Redskins to lose their two (Eagles, Cowboys, both on the road. Any other combination of results leaves them out of the playoffs for the fourth time in a row, and makes it more and more difficult for Tom Coughlin to hang on to his job.