Odell Beckham Jr. goes down with an injury in Super Bowl 56
Not many players were looking forward to Sunday’s Super Bowl quite like Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. After struggling with the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns for years, Beckham Jr. was finally having a coveted playoff run.
After getting off to a hot early start with a touchdown, the wide receiver went down with an injury in the second quarter. It came on a second-down play while running a crossing route and there was no contact on the play. Beckham Jr. was immediately sent to the medical tent, needing some help to get off the field.
You can watch the full sequence here.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford was finding Beckham Jr. early and often in the first half. The two had connected twice on three targets, going for 52 yards and a touchdown.
Odell Beckham Jr. tears his ACL in Super Bowl
Odell Beckham Jr. was on his way to a huge game before an injury ended his night early during Super Bowl 56. Still, the Rams powered through — bringing Beckham Jr. and Los Angeles a Lombardi Trophy.
However, the news coming out of the Rams regarding Beckham Jr. and his knee injury isn’t positive. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the star wide receiver and pending free agent is believed to have torn his ACL.
“#Rams WR Odell Beckham Jr is believed to have torn his ACL in last night’s Super Bowl win, source said,” tweeted Rapoport. “That means a long road of recovery for the free agent, who has a challenge to be ready for 2022. Beckham had 2 catches for 52 yards, 1 TD and 1 moonwalk before the injury.”
Recovery outlined for Rams WR
Beckham, who was released by the Cleveland Browns and picked up by the Rams in a midseason acquisition, signed a relatively cheap one-year deal with Los Angeles. Now, he prepares to enter an offseason in which he’ll be an unrestricted free agent, but he’ll enter the period of uncertainty with a potential career-altering injury.
Former NFL doctor David J. Chao, who’s well-renowned in the athletics space, revealed his best guess at Beckham’s timeline for recovery via Twitter Monday.
“Although 2nd ACL tear has a slightly quicker recovery, mid February ACL tear is tight timeline for start of next season and OBJ is a free agent,” Chao said of the injury.
Chao’s analysis came just hours after NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport confirmed the speculation that Beckham’s injury was, in fact, a torn ACL — a brutal blow for the soon-to-be free agent.