Odell Beckham Jr.

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. has been listed on the team's injury report all week with a hip injury, but head coach Sean McVay told reporters Friday that he'd be surprised if OBJ misses L.A.'s home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

Beckham also told reporters Friday that he intends to play.

#Rams wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (hip) said he expects to play vs. the Jaguars Sunday. "I’ll be all right," he said. "I’ve been through worse." Beckham was limited in practice today after sitting out yesterday, and is listed as questionable on the Rams' injury report. 1/3

— Kevin Modesti (@KevinModesti) December 3, 2021

Beckham was listed on the injury report as a DNP (did not practice) on Thursday, but ESPN's Lindsey Thiry spotted him on the practice field Friday.

Rams WR Odell Beckham Jr. is at practice today. pic.twitter.com/SPwUos8KLr

— Lindsey Thiry (@LindseyThiry) December 3, 2021

He'll be listed as questionable heading into the Jags game.

The 29-year-old Beckham has caught 24 passes for 331 yards and one touchdown this year for the Rams and Cleveland Browns, who released the former LSU star in November.

He soon agreed to a one-year contract with the Rams after clearing waivers and becoming a free agent.

The Rams offense has been crushed by injuries of late.

"[Matthew] Stafford's arm has been in a lot of pain, he has elbow pain and his back has a chronic issue that he deals with every single day," Dianna Russini reported last Sunday on ESPN (h/t NFL analyst Warren Sharp). "His health is certainly an issue."

Robert Woods, who served as the No. 2 wideout behind Cooper Kupp, is out for the season after tearing the ACL in his left knee in mid-November.

No. 1 running back Darrell Henderson Jr. looks to be a game-time decision to play Sunday due to a thigh injury, per Kevin Modesti of the Los Angeles Daily News and Southern California News Group.

Rookie wideout Tutu Atwell is out for the year with a shoulder injury.

L.A. started the season 7-1 but has since dropped its last three games by a combined score of 95-54.

A home matchup against the 2-9 Jaguars could get the Rams back on the winning track, although having Beckham would be ideal with the team trying to stay alive in the NFC West race behind the 9-2 Arizona Cardinals.

He and Stafford appeared to get on the same page last Sunday, as Beckham caught five passes for 81 yards and a touchdown in a 36-28 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Game time this week is Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET from SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

It was the Green Bay Packers and not the Los Angeles Rams who looked like Super Bowl contenders during their Sunday matchup, and at least one executive believes the NFC West team is trying to force things to prove acquiring Matthew Stafford and Odell Beckham Jr. were correct moves.

"I think L.A. has lost its identity," the executive said, per Mike Sando of The Athletic. "At least with Jared Goff, they knew they needed to run the ball. It feels like they are putting it all on the quarterback [Stafford], and he can't do it—like they are forcing the (drop-back passing game) with him and will force it to Odell Beckham Jr. so they can prove acquiring those guys was warranted."

Los Angeles reached the Super Bowl during the 2018 campaign with Goff under center. It also finished with a winning record in four straight years from 2017 through 2020, although running back Todd Gurley and a strong defense played significant roles on those teams.

The Rams traded Goff to the Detroit Lions in March as part of the deal that brought them Stafford, and everything appeared to be on track toward a potential Super Bowl run when they started 7-1 with the new signal-caller throwing the ball effectively to Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods.

A victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3 seemed to announce the Rams as legitimate Lombardi Trophy contenders.

However, Woods was lost for the season to a torn ACL, and the team has lost three straight games to the Tennessee Titans, San Francisco 49ers and Packers. Suddenly the 7-1 start that included wins over the struggling Chicago Bears, Seattle Seahawks, Lions, New York Giants and Houston Texans didn't look quite as impressive after the consecutive losses to contenders.

Los Angeles also made headlines by bringing in Beckham after his unceremonious split with the Cleveland Browns, and it is 0-2 with him lined up at wide receiver.

The three-time Pro Bowler at least impressed against the Packers with five catches for 81 yards and a touchdown, but the offense as a whole couldn't keep pace with Aaron Rodgers and Co. during a 36-28 loss.

The Rams ran 20 times for 68 yards and zero touchdowns in the loss, while the Packers (9-3) tallied 92 yards and a score on 32 rushes.

Perhaps the Rams are forcing the aerial attack or perhaps the recent losing streak is a result of the schedule becoming more difficult, but they have a chance to turn things around in the upcoming Week 13 matchup with the 2-9 Jacksonville Jaguars.              

The Green Bay Packers bounced back from a disappointing 34-31 loss to the Minnesota Vikings last weekend with a 36-28 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday at Lambeau Field.

It was an impressive win for the Packers, especially considering reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers has been dealing with what has been described as a painful toe injury. The Green and Gold improved to 9-3 on the season with Sunday's win to take a commanding lead in the NFC North.

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Notable Stats

Aaron Rodgers, QB, GB: 28/45 for 307 YDS, 2 TD and 2 CAR for 0 YD, 1 TD

Matthew Stafford, QB, LAR: 21/38 for 302 YDS, 3 TD, 1 INT

Davante Adams, WR, GB:  8 REC for 104 YDS

Randall Cobb, WR, GB: 4 REC for 95 YDS, 1 TD

Cooper Kupp, WR, LAR: 7 REC for 96 YDS

AJ Dillon, RB, GB: 20 CAR for 69 YDS and 5 REC for 21 YDS, 1 TD

Odell Beckham Jr., WR, LAR: 5 REC for 81 YDS, 1 TD

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Aaron Rodgers Continues to Play at High Level

Even though Rodgers has been dealing with a toe injury through the last couple of weeks, he has been pretty impressive. The 37-year-old threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns against the Rams on Sunday. It was his second consecutive game of more than 300 yards through the air.

Rodgers also continues to spread the wealth among his receivers. Davante Adams led the team with eight catches for 104 yards in the win, but Randall Cobb had four catches for 95 yards and a touchdown, while Marquez Valdes-Scantling also had four catches for 50 yards. 

5️⃣4️⃣ yards to @rcobb18!#LARvsGB | #GoPackGo

📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/FtmZ577hpZ

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) November 28, 2021

DEEP BALL TO @tae15adams!#LARvsGB | #GoPackGo

📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/QhDlAfxxL0

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) November 28, 2021

.@ajdillon7 with the catch!

TOUCHDOWN! 🙌 #LARvsGB | #GoPackGo

📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/sfLRAnVjmn

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) November 28, 2021

In addition, running back AJ Dillon was involved in the passing game, reeling in five passes for 21 yards and a touchdown.

This comes after two of Green Bay's receivers had more than 100 receiving yards in a loss to Minnesota last weekend, and two more had at least 40 receiving yards.

While Adams has been his top target, Rodgers has done a tremendous job using all of his options throughout the season. Entering Sunday's game, Green Bay had seven players with at least 200 receiving yards this year.

If Rodgers can continue to get all of his receivers involved moving forward, the Packers will have one of the most dangerous, dynamic receiving groups entering the final stretch of the regular season.

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Rams' Rushing Offense Ineffective in Loss

The Rams aren't known for having one of the best rushing offenses in the league, but the team was largely ineffective on the ground against the Packers. Darrell Henderson Jr. and Sony Michel combined for just 69 yards on 19 carries in Sunday's loss.

Entering Sunday's matchup against the Packers, the Rams were ranked 24th in the NFL averaging 97.9 yards per game rushing and just 979 yards of total offense on the ground.

Henderson has been L.A.'s top running back this season, entering with 593 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns in nine games. However, the Rams need to start getting more production out of Michel.

The 26-year-old was traded from the New England Patriots to the Rams in August and he has been largely ineffective. In 10 games entering Sunday's matchup, he had just 76 carries for 291 yards and one touchdown.

The 2021 campaign has been the least productive of Michel's career thus far. To put it into context, in his last season with the Patriots in 2020, Michel rushed for 449 yards in nine games.

However, it's important to note L.A.'s struggles on the ground aren't entirely Henderson and Michel's fault. The Rams lost their top running back, Cam Akers, to a season-ending Achilles injury during an offseason workout.

The 22-year-old, a former second-round pick, was expected to have a breakout year in 2021 after rushing for 625 yards and two scores as a rookie in 2020.

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What's Next?

The Rams will host the Jacksonville Jaguars on Dec. 5, while the Packers will hit their bye week before hosting the Chicago Bears on Dec. 12.

The Green Bay Packers reportedly wouldn't offer Odell Beckham Jr. a contract worth more than the veteran's minimum when they pursued him after his midseason departure from the Cleveland Browns.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported negotiations with the Packers were "bogged down" by the lack of movement on Green Bay's end. Beckham signed a deal with the Rams for a $1.25 million base salary and an additional $3 million in possible incentives, which the Packers would have been willing to match, as previously reported by Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The decision for Beckham, then, became one of where he would rather play football for the remainder of the 2021 season. It was seemingly a no-brainer.

"He wasn't going to take the same, or less money, to go to Green Bay [over Los Angeles]," a source told Schefter. 

Beckham recorded two receptions for 18 yards in his Rams debut in Week 10. He's expected to be much more involved in the team's Week 12 matchup against the Packers with the Rams coming off a bye.

While it appeared Beckham was signing up to be the third receiver on the Los Angeles depth chart, Robert Woods suffered a season-ending ACL tear a day after Beckham signed with the Rams. Beckham is thus expected to slot in as the WR2 behind Cooper Kupp, and it's possible he winds up taking over the one or two carries Woods got in the running game each week. 

The Packers would have offered him an easier avenue to being a WR2, but Woods' injury cleared the path for more touches.

Green Bay will get a first-hand look at what it is missing in Sunday's matchup between the teams.

Odell Beckham Jr.'s debut for the Los Angeles Rams was a lackluster one, as he had just two catches for 18 yards on three targets in a 31-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Nov. 15.

Rams head coach Sean McVay isn't worried, however, as he told reporters on Wednesday that Beckham's volume will increase as he continues to get a better understanding of the team's offense.

Sean McVay says "we expect to see a lot of him" regarding Odell Beckham Jr., as he continues to integrate and learn the Rams offense.

— Lindsey Thiry (@LindseyThiry) November 24, 2021

Beckham had some extra time to learn the offense, as the Rams were on a bye in Week 11. Los Angeles (7-3) will be back in action this Sunday in a marquee matchup against the Green Bay Packers (8-3) at Lambeau Field.

With Robert Woods (ACL) done for the season, the three-time Pro Bowl receiver will have to produce if the Rams hope to have success against one of the elite teams in the NFC.

There might be an OB3 on the horizon.

Lauren Wood, the girlfriend of Los Angeles Rams star Odell Beckham Jr., announced that she and Beckham are expecting their first child together.

.@obj and his girlfriend Lauren Wood are expecting a baby ❤️ @brgridiron pic.twitter.com/LODrGcYdDg

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 22, 2021

The Rams had their bye in Week 11, which apparently allowed Beckham and Wood a little more time to commemorate the occasion. Los Angeles' last game was a 31-10 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers on Nov. 15, which was Beckham's debut with the team.

Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reported how Beckham had long sought a move to the Rams, so signing with L.A. represented a wish come true. Now, he has something new to celebrate.

Odell Beckham Jr. played college football in Louisiana for LSU and was apparently "close" to playing there professionally for the New Orleans Saints.

"I would say close," Saints head coach Sean Payton said during an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show while discussing if the team approached signing the wide receiver. "The question was all along if L.A. had an opportunity, that's where he was going to go. I would say [Los Angeles wasn't involved] until midway through the process."

Beckham ultimately signed with the Los Angeles Rams after he was released by the Cleveland Browns.

His debut with the Rams didn't go as hoped, and he finished with two catches for 18 yards in a 31-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football.

It was another development in what has turned into a disappointing season for Beckham. The LSU product has 19 catches for 250 yards and is yet to score in seven games for Cleveland and Los Angeles.

Beckham's split with the Browns wasn't exactly the cleanest either considering his father made headlines by posting a video on Instagram of Baker Mayfield missing the wide receiver on open routes. The team also dismissed him from multiple practices.

The 29-year-old played just seven games last season and has not resembled the dominant playmaker he was for the New York Giants since he surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in his first year with Cleveland in 2019.

Even then he scored just four touchdowns, which stands in stark contrast to the double-digit touchdown totals he posted in each of his first three seasons in the league from 2014 through 2016.

Perhaps it shouldn't be surprising the Saints were interested since Michael Thomas is sidelined with an injury and they are missing a true No. 1 option in the aerial attack. While Beckham hasn't put up numbers like a top wide receiver of late, he has that track record to fall back on and is theoretically still in his prime.

Alas, it will be the Rams who hope he rediscovers his form down the stretch run of the season as they chase an NFC West crown and playoff berth.                

Odell Beckham Jr. signed with the Los Angeles Rams last week, but the star wide receiver had apparently wanted to join the team long before that.

Fox Sports' Jay Glazer said Wednesday on the Pat McAfee Show that "Odell's been trying to go to the Rams for a long time. Even after he got traded to the Browns, I remember talking to him, he's like, 'Dude, you've gotta help me get traded out to the Rams.'"

"Odell wanted to go to LA the whole time.. even after he got traded to the Browns he told me wanted to get to the Rams" ~@JayGlazer#PatMcAfeeShowLIVE pic.twitter.com/Scg9Y7ED6D

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 17, 2021

Beckham's tenure in Cleveland didn't go according to plan. 

A torn ACL limited him to seven games in 2020, and he battled nagging shoulder problems this year. When he did play, he wasn't the same pass-catcher who lit up the NFL with the New York Giants.

The three-time Pro Bowler averaged 3.9 receptions and 54.7 yards per game with the Browns compared to 6.6 and 92.8, respectively, with the Giants.

Glazer's report will likely lead some to question Beckham's level of commitment to Cleveland from the moment he landed in Northeast Ohio in 2019.

If his effort level had been lacking behind the scenes, one would presume his Browns teammates would've noticed and grown frustrated over time. However, ESPN's Jake Trotter spoke to a source who said he was "cool in that whole [locker] room."

Another source said Beckham didn't have any off-field friction with Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield and that it was "all about the field" in terms of their failure to get things to click.

In theory, the Browns' trade for Beckham should've worked. He reunited with former LSU teammate Jarvis Landry and had a quarterback who seemed more equipped to maximize his downfield potential than Eli Manning did.

However, the trade didn't pan out for both sides a variety of reasons.

Now that he's where he wanted to be all along, perhaps OBJ can return to the heights he enjoyed early in his career with the Giants.

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry admitted Tuesday that Odell Beckham Jr.'s departure from the team impacted him.

According to ESPN's Jake Trotter, Landry said he wasn't sure why things didn't work out between OBJ and the Browns and said he was sad to see him leave: "Definitely was something that hurt. Still does."

Beckham was granted his release two weeks ago, and after clearing waivers, he signed with the Los Angeles Rams for the remainder of the season.

The Browns parted ways with Beckham on November. This followed his father posting an 11-minute video on social media highlighting instances of Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield failing to throw the ball to OBJ.

Beckham was off to a slow start this season with just 17 receptions for 232 yards and no touchdowns through six games. In his first game as a member of the Rams on Sunday night, OBJ made two grabs for 18 yards.

Odell seemed destined for a legendary career early in his NFL tenure with the New York Giants, as he was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2014, was named to the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons and averaged 96 receptions for 1,374 yards and nearly 12 touchdowns per year over his first three seasons.

Injuries slowed Beckham down after that, and he was eventually traded to Cleveland prior to the 2019 season.

Beckham managed to barely crack the 1,000-yard mark in his first season with the Browns, finishing with 74 catches for 1,035 yards and four touchdowns, but a torn ACL limited him to seven games the following season.

OBJ didn't seem to have the same chemistry with Mayfield that he had with Eli Manning early in his career with the Giants.

There is also no question that Mayfield has struggled this season, going 4-5 as a starter and throwing for 1,990 yards, nine touchdowns and four interceptions for a Browns team that is 5-5 despite being a preseason pick to make a deep playoff run in the AFC.

The fall from grace has been swift for Mayfield after he posted a career-best touchdown-to-interception ratio of 26-8 last year and led the Browns to an 11-5 record and a playoff win.

Cleveland did win its first game without Beckham, beating the Cincinnati Bengals 41-16 in Week 9, but they were dominated by the New England Patriots in Week 10, 45-7.

With Beckham no longer in the fold, Landry is the unquestioned No. 1 wideout in Cleveland. Landry has three career 1,000-yard seasons to his credit, including 2019 with the Browns.

He is off to a slow start this season, however, as injuries have limited him to six games, and he has 23 catches for 219 yards and no touchdowns.

It is possible that Beckham leaving may have hit Landry harder than a teammate departure normally would since they have been close friends for years, dating back to their time as teammates at LSU from 2011-13.

Landry and Beckham didn't find the same level of success together with the Browns as they did at LSU, but now they have gone their separate ways, they are both looking to push their respective teams into the playoffs and perhaps toward a Super Bowl run.

Legendary quarterback Troy Aikman raised questions over whether the addition of Odell Beckham Jr. will benefit the Los Angeles Rams and starting quarterback Matthew Stafford.

Aikman said Tuesday during an appearance on 96.7 The Ticket in Dallas (via Texans Wire's Mark Lane) that Stafford "now feels some of the pressure that maybe Baker Mayfield felt of, Hey, we got to get this guy involved."

Troy Aikman told @dfwticket that #Rams QB Matthew Stafford may be feeling what #Browns QB Baker Mayfield felt in having to force the ball to Odell Beckham. Aikman also wonders if the Rams' recent acquisitions have shaken the team's foundation. pic.twitter.com/WgpVYABj9j

— Mark Lane (@therealmarklane) November 16, 2021

It's premature to draw any conclusions about Beckham's tenure in Los Angeles. He had a muted Rams debut, catching two passes for 18 yards on three targets in a 31-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Stafford finished 26-of-41 for 243 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

His first interception came when he was targeting Beckham down the field.

Jimmie Ward intercepts the deep pass for the @49ers defense! #FTTB

📺: #LARvsSF on ESPN
📱: https://t.co/Pbh7qEl7Sy pic.twitter.com/gTDh4f2LGu

— NFL (@NFL) November 16, 2021

Particularly this season, there has been plenty of conversation about whether Mayfield benefited more from Beckham's absence than his presence on the field. 

Mayfield was an efficient 14-of-21 for 218 yards and two touchdowns in a 41-16 blowout of the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 9 immediately after Cleveland signaled a desire to move on from OBJ. On Sunday, though, the Browns quarterback had just 73 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception as the team lost 45-7 to the New England Patriots.

Life without Beckham has been a mixed bag for Mayfield so far.

Aikman's comments illustrate how some will now view his arrival as a point of demarcation in evaluating Stafford's first year in L.A.