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There was more spectacular, record-setting play from Odell beckham Jr. There was also a first-half fight that saw two New York Giants ejected and far too many penalties. Bottom line, though, is that the Giants defeated the St. Louis Rams, 37-27, Sunday for their third straight victory.
The Giants are now 6-9 on the season. The Rams are also 6-9.
Odell Beckham Breaks More Records
Beckham broke the Giants' rookie receiving record of 74 receptions, which Jeremy Shockey set in 2002. He had two touchdowns and now owns the franchise rookie record in that department with 11, breaking Bill Swiacki's record. Beckham finished the game with eight catches for 148 yards and two touchdowns.
.@OBJ_3 is a heckuva player. But he needs to learn a thing or two about his end zone celebrations Video via @kfc https://t.co/ds9VYetzKg
— Mike Pereira (@MikePereira) December 21, 2014
The First-Half Fracas
Rap filled you in on that. The Rams apparently came into the game not only hoping to shut Beckham down, but to also shut the superstar rookie up. They didn't accomplish either.
Beckham was penalized for taunting after his first touchdown, and the Rams didn't take kindly to that. There were several late hits on the rookie receiver after that, most of which Beckham challenged. When Alec Ogletree threw Beckham into the Giants' bench, a melee erupted. Damontre Moore and Preston Parker ended up ejected, and former NFL referee Mike Periera blamed the post-touchdown celebrations for the problems.
Why wasn't Ogletree ejected in the #NYGvsSTL brawl? What started it? Here are my thoughts via @kfc: https://t.co/sJf1CjucOW
— Mike Pereira (@MikePereira) December 21, 2014
Pereira has a point. Also, as much as you love Beckham's enthusiasm you can't challenge, shove back, clap in the face of and otherwise intentionally annoy the opposition -- which Beckham does regularly -- without some consequencs.
Eli Manning's Great Day
Overlooked in the madness of Beckham's great day, the first-half ejections was the fact that quarterback Eli Manning had a spectacular day. Manning went 25-of-32 for 391 yards and three touchdowns. His passer rating for the day was 148.8.
Stats & Stuff
Rueben Randle had six catches for 132 yards, including a 49-yarder. A nice game from Randle after he sat out the first quarter twice in recent weeks for disciplinary reasons ... Orleans Darkwa had a 12-yard run for his first career touchdown ... Rookie Kerry Wynn had a sack, an interception and a fumble recovery. The interception and fumble recovery were career firsts ... Jason Pierre-Paul had a sack, and now has 10.5, the second double-digit sack season of his career ... Andre Williams had 26 carries for 110 yards, including a 45-yard run ... The Giants had 514 total yards of offense ... The Giants committed 11 penalties for 134 yards.
What's Next
The Giants finish the season at home next Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles in a game that is now meaningless in terms of the NFL playoffs. The Eagles, once 9-3, have lost four straight games and have been eliminated from NFL playoff contention. With a victory the Giants can equal last season's 7-9 record. That isn't much, but it is something.
Stay with us for much more coverage throughout the evening.