The 2020 season for Odell Beckham Jr. has come to an end. On Monday, the Cleveland Browns announced Beckham tore his ACL and is likely to miss the year’s remainder. After attempting to chase down Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Darius Phillips on an interception return early in the first quarter, Beckham suffered the injury.
The interception was thrown by Baker Mayfield, who was not happy with himself after the game. “I am probably going to beat myself up about that one for a long time,” Mayfield said to reporters after the Browns beat the Bengals 37-34. “He is a guy who fights for this team, and in doing that, he got hurt. Prayers and hopes for the best. That one sucks.” At halftime, Mayfield caught up with Beckham in the locker room to see how he was doing.
Videos by PopCulture.com
“Go be great,” Beckham said to Mayfield, who finished the game with 297 passing yards and five touchdowns in the win. The Browns are now 5-2 on the year and on track to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2002. However, things are more challenging with Beckham out of the lineup.
“To see the way the quarterback (Baker Mayfield) responded in this game, early we were not doing anything – the plays were not very good and we just could not get a completion – and he rips off 20 straight [completions], so I just could not be more impressed with how he played, including that last throw there,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. “The story of our season, guys stepping up, and you saw (WR) Donovan Peoples-Jones step up, and (WR) Rashard Higgins has done it every time he has been out there.”
Injuries have been nothing new for Beckham since joining the Browns in 2019. During training camp last year, Beckham suffered a hip and groin injury, which slowed him down throughout the year. He played in all 16 games and finished with 1,035 yards and four touchdowns. Once the season was over, Beckham had surgery to fix the issue.
Beckham joined the Browns last year after being traded from the New York Giants. He made a name for himself in his five seasons in New York, reaching the Pro Bowl three times and being named to the All-Pro Second Team in 2015 and 2016. Beckham earned Offensive Rookie of the Year honors after catching 91 passes for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2014.
