The Los Angeles Rams had a tough game this past week on the road against their division rivals in the San Francisco 49ers. The Rams lost 31-10 as their offense was never able to get going and the defense couldn’t get the 49ers’ offense off the field. It was an abysmal debut for wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. as well.
Beckham was targeted three times, catching two passes for 18 yards. He was also the target on one of Matthew Stafford’s interceptions.
It wasn’t how Beckham wanted to begin his tenure with the Rams and a lot of people are already labeling this as a bad acquisition. People invested in the Cleveland Browns are already saying, “I told you so,” as things couldn’t have gone much worse. But, it is still way too early to write Beckham off with the Rams.
Beckham only began practicing with the team on Friday, three days before they took the field against the 49ers. The fact he was even on the field was surprising, as he barely got any practice time with his new teammates.
Part of the reason Beckham could have been on the field as quickly as he was the injury to Robert Woods. Woods, the No. 2 wide receiver behind Cooper Kupp, tore his ACL on Friday, ending his season prematurely.
As a result, right off the bat, the plan that was discussed with Beckham has to be adjusted. Without Woods in the fold, Beckham’s role with the team will undoubtedly be changing. He will likely assume a bigger role once he is comfortable with the playbook and schemes to help compensate for the loss of Woods.
The bye week couldn’t have come at a better time for Los Angeles. Going into it on an embarrassing loss isn’t ideal, but they will now have two weeks to get Beckham up to speed and acclimated with how they do things.
Beckham did not live up to expectations with the Browns after turning into a superstar with the New York Giants. But, he will have a chance to rebuild his value with the Rams, especially if he can help the team overcome the loss of Woods.
Right now, it is way too early to panic about Odell Beckham Jr. in Los Angeles. His first game went as poorly as things could have, and the only way to go is up from here. The extra practice reps and time to learn will help speed up the process and get him ready to go out of the bye week in a huge matchup against the Green Bay Packers.