Getty WR Odell Beckham Jr. celebrates Super Bowl win with Rams.
Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. will be one of the captains for the Baltimore Ravens as they follow their bye week with a showdown against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 14.
Head coach John Harbaugh made the announcement on Wednesday, December 6.
“Odell will be one of our captains in this game. He’ll go out there and do the coin toss. And he’ll be out there playing,” Harbaugh said.
Coach Harbaugh on @obj facing his former team this weekend:
The Ravens do not have season-long captains but rather rotate their captains each week.
Beckham was a Ram during the 2021 season and a key part of their Super Bowl win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Speaking about his time with the Rams on Tuesday, December 6, Beckham told reporters, “It’s a special bond that I have with those guys over there. … The organization brought me back to having love and joy for football.”
Beckham was only a Ram for a short period, but it was an important part of the star receiver’s career.
The Cleveland Browns released the veteran mid-way through the 2021 season. Los Angeles was looking to load up for a Super Bowl run and added the explosive receiver to an already dominant WR corps.
In eight regular season games with the Rams, Beckham had 27 catches, 305 yards and 5 touchdowns. However, the playoffs are where he endeared himself to Rams fans.
OBJ’S FIRST CATCH IS A TOUCHDOWN. #RamsHouse @OBJ
📺: #SBLVI on NBC
📱: t.co/K02y40b5Nu
The LSU star had 21 catches for 288 yards and 2 touchdowns in the four playoff games including the Super Bowl. Beckham was poised for a fantastic Super Bowl, catching 2 passes for 58 yards and a touchdown before ultimately tearing his ACL (forcing him to miss the entire 2022 season).
The Super Bowl ended up being his last game with the Rams.
Odell Beckham Jr. Wants to ‘Return the Favor’ to the Rams
During Beckham’s time with the Rams, he played against the Ravens during Week 16 of the regular season. Beckham put up 5 catches for 39 yards and a touchdown in a victory over his current team.
The former first-rounder joked about how he still talks with players on the Rams like fellow wide receiver Cooper Kupp and quarterback Matthew Stafford. Beckham told media, “I still hit a little group chat. Talked a little trash with them this week.”
Beckham was asked about his feelings going against Rams stating, “Two years ago, I was over there, and I scored a touchdown to win the game. Now I’m over here.”
Beckham scored with 57 seconds left in the game on a pass from Stafford to give the Rams a 20-19 victory. The clutch touchdown extended the Rams winning streak to five straight.
Beckham wants to make it up to Ravens fans it appears. “Hopefully, I can do the same thing and return the favor to them,” the receiver said.
Head Coach John Harbaugh Calls Beckham ‘Explosive Element’
Beckham has come to life these past four games. After a zero-catch performance in Week 8 against the Arizona Cardinals, people were questioning the struggles of the veteran WR.
He has responded with 13 catches for 246 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Ravens’ last four games.
Comeback complete: Odell Beckham Jr. notches his first touchdown as a member of the #Ravens and it’s his first in 630 days.
Harbaugh praised Beckham to the media on Tuesday, December 6, saying, “He’s a heck of a football player. He draws a lot of attention. He’s making plays and coming into his own health wise.”
That might be the biggest component for Beckham. The Ravens have been careful with the WR this season giving him off-days throughout the practice week and sitting him in Weeks 3 and 4.
Baltimore understands that the season is a marathon and not a sprint. Keeping Beckham healthy for the playoffs and a potential Super Bowl run is more important than anything else.
Especially, with tight end Mark Andrews likely being out for the season, quarterback Lamar Jackson will be leaning on Beckham and the rest of the receiving corp.
When Beckham is healthy and at the top of his game, the field opens up more for rookie Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and the running game.
Harbaugh knows how important he is to this team. “He’s an explosive element,” he said. “I know he’s going to make a bunch of big plays down the stretch.”
Heavy Sports’ projections powered by Quarter4 give the Ravens a 65% chance of victory over the Rams, with a 4.5-point expected win margin.