ICYMI: Beckham's 1-handed grab; Pats-Pack on tap
If you have not seen the backward-falling, fingers-extended, one-handed grab made by New York Giants rookie Odell Beckham Jr., do yourself a favor and go search for the video on the web.
NBC announcer Al Michaels called it "one of the most incredible catches ever seen -- by anybody, anywhere, at any level of football."
And that's not hyperbole.
While being interfered with by a Cowboys defensive back, Beckham jumped at about the 3-yard line, stretched his right arm back overhead to collect the football as it soared past and, using his left hand to brace himself as he landed in the end zone, completed the unforgettable catch for a 43-yard TD in New York's 31-28 loss to Dallas.
"Unbelievable," Giants quarterback Eli Manning said. "Pretty spectacular."
While Beckham said he hopes to produce more such plays over the course of his NFL career, it seems safe to say this one will earn a permanent spot in the highlight reel.
Truth is, Beckham works on his one-handed catching frequently -- "all the time" in practice, Giants coach Tom Coughlin said.
"I guess," Beckham said, "I've got to thank my mom for the long fingers."
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PATRIOTS' STREAK: A week after riding Jonas Gray's 201-yard, four-touchdown rushing performance to their sixth consecutive victory, the Patriots stretched that streak to seven games despite benching Gray. A couple of days after being sent away from practice for showing up late, he did not play at all in New England's 34-9 defeat of Detroit. Shrug. Coach Bill Belichick simply plugs in guys and wins, going with LeGarrette Blount, who was signed last week after getting cut by Pittsburgh. All Blount did was run for 78 yards and score a pair of TDs for the Patriots, who are 9-2 and atop the AFC heading into next Sunday's showdown -- expect to hear the words "Super Bowl preview" -- at Green Bay, which is 8-3.
ALL ABOUT THAT ACTION: So after being docked $100,000 by the league for leaving the locker room last week without speaking to reporters, Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch did stay around after Seattle beat Arizona 19-3, but mostly stuck to one-word answers. More importantly, the reigning Super Bowl champs (7-4) stayed in the playoff race by defeating the NFC West-leading Cardinals (9-2); backup QB Drew Stanton was only 14 of 26 for 149 yards and an interception.
GORDON'S RETURN: Browns receiver Josh Gordon was good as ever as he returned from his 10-game suspension -- originally a full-year ban -- for failing a test for marijuana. Gordon led the league in receiving last season with 1,646 yards in only 14 games and he picked up right where he left off. He caught eight passes for 120 yards, including a 24-yarder on the game-winning drive, helping the Browns improve to 7-4 by edging Atlanta 26-24.
QUESTIONING SMITH: Falcons coach Mike Smith opened himself up to second-guessing yet again with his late-game decision-making against the Browns. Right before his team kicked a last-minute field goal, Smith called a timeout while facing third-and-2 -- saving some precious seconds for Cleveland's eventual go-ahead drive -- and then threw a deep incompletion -- saving some more seconds for Cleveland.
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Copyright 2014 by The Associated Press
This story is from ESPN.com's automated news wire. Wire index
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