PHILADELPHIA — Well, Odell Beckham Jr. played for the Giants on Monday night. So they had that going for them.
It did them no good, however.
Beckham, though he led the Giants with seven catches for 61 yards and scored their only touchdown in a putrid 27-7 loss to the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field, was rendered a non-factor by the Philadelphia defense.
And it had little to do with the fact he had not practiced all week after suffering a hamstring injury in the Giants’ previous game eight nights earlier.
Beckham was targeted eight times by Eli Manning, catching seven. But seven of those eight targets — and all seven catches — came in the first half. Beckham had only one pass thrown his way in the second half despite the fact the Giants trailed 17-7 at the half.
It all started so well for Beckham and the Giants, who took a 7-0 lead on their opening possession of the game as Beckham scored on a 13-yard touchdown pass.
“We were very, very confident,’’ Beckham said of the first drive.
Then everything went wrong.
“Well, we would have liked to have gotten [the ball] to him [in the second half], but it didn’t work out that way,’’ Tom Coughlin said. “Obviously, we were having a lot of trouble protecting the quarterback. A little later on, they were playing him a little bit differently. Once they got the lead, they had one defender low and one high to be able to cover him vertically up the field.’’
Manning said, “Once they got the lead they were doubling him a good bit and kind of challenging us to run the ball, giving us run looks. But we were down and having to throw it and they were getting pretty good pressure.’’
Beckham credited the Eagles’ defense.
“They mixed it up [in coverage,]” he said. “They did a good job of rolling some coverages late. They did a good job disguising it and keeping it hidden ’til the last minute. We’ve just got to make more plays.’’
Beckham said he felt no setbacks by playing and does not expect it to be an issue Sunday against Dallas at MetLife Stadium.
“I felt good enough to play, and I kind of just stayed right where I’m at, so I don’t think there were any major setbacks,’’ he said. “I feel good. It’s all a work in progress. It’s about staying on top of it. It’s part of being a pro, learning how to manage it.
“I don’t remember the last time I was 100 percent, so it’s just trying to stay on top of it, and manage it the best I can.’’
Asked if he expects a week of uncertainty again leading up to the Dallas game in terms of his practicing and his status, Beckham said, “I don’t know, I play football, I’m not a trainer. So whatever they want me to do I follow their plan. They do a great job of managing it and keeping me as healthy as possible so I trust them and follow what they say.’’
