EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey // For awesomeness, Odell Beckham Jr.’s catch couldn’t be topped.
Beckham’s right-handed grab of Eli Manning’s 43-yard pass could be the catch of the year. The New York Giants rookie, who regularly practices such receptions, outreached Brandon Carr at the goal line and tumbled backward into the end zone with the scores at 14-3 against the Dallas Cowboys.
In the end Tony Romo threw two touchdown passes to Dez Bryant, the winner from 13 yards with 1:01 remaining, to lift the Cowboys to a comeback 31-28 victory that eliminated New York from division contention.
But it was Beckham’s incredible one-handed catch, one of the rookie’s two first-half touchdowns, that will have fans talking for a long time to come.
“I have played this game for 10 years,” Giants safety Antrel Rolle said, “and that was the greatest catch I’ve seen.”
Beckham wants there to be plenty more of those.
“I hope it is not the greatest catch because with time I hope I can make more,” Beckham said.
That catch already was dominating highlight reels by halftime and was his second TD of the game. The 80-yard drive to Beckham’s first touchdown marked the second straight week the Giants got into the end zone on their opening possession after going 20 games without doing so.
Dallas’ offense hardly sat still following Beckham’s one-hander. Romo guided the Cowboys 77 yards and used a shovel pass to Jason Witten – yes, the tight end used two hands – from the 4 immediately after Beckham’s stunner.
So the kid from LSU went right back to overwhelming the Cowboys. He made three catches for 32 yards on New York’s next series, including a spin move that would make a figure skater proud. Andre Williams concluded that 80-yard march with a 3-yard run for a 21-10 lead.
In the first half alone, Beckham had eight catches for 125 yards, while Manning went 14 of 16 for 191 yards. But the second half belonged to Dallas.
BROWNS 26, FALCONS 24
Brian Hoyer shook off three interceptions, leading the Cleveland Browns down the field in the final minute to set up Billy Cundiff’s 37-yard field goal as time expired for a 26-24 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. Taking advantage of the last of Hoyer’s picks, the Falcons drove for Matt Bryant’s 53-yard field goal with 44 seconds remaining to seize the lead.
PATRIOTS 34, LIONS 9
Tom Brady threw for 349 yards and two touchdowns in a pass-heavy offense against the NFL’s stingiest rushing defense and the New England Patriots stretched their winning streak to seven games with a victory over the Detroit Lions. The Patriots led 24-6 at halftime as Brady repeatedly found wide-open receivers while the Lions struggled on offense. For the second straight game, Detroit failed to score a touchdown.
PACKERS 24, VIKINGS 21
Eddie Lacy rushed for 125 yards on 25 carries, both season highs to help Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers hang on against the Minnesota Vikings. Lacy scored twice, on a run in the first quarter and a catch in the fourth. Then, he rumbled through the line for two first downs to drain the clock after the Vikings (4-7) cut the lead to three with 3:23 remaining.
EAGLES 43, TITANS 24
Josh Huff returned the opening kickoff 107 yards, LeSean McCoy ran for 130 yards and the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Tennessee Titans.Huff’s return was the longest in franchise history and the 10th non-offensive touchdown for Philadelphia this season.
BENGALS 22, TEXANS 13
Andy Dalton threw for 233 yards and a touchdown and A.J. Green had 121 yards receiving on a career-high 12 receptions to give the Cincinnati Bengals a win over the Houston Texans. The Bengals (7-3-1) led throughout, but Houston (5-6) cut the lead to three points late in the third quarter before Cincinnati tacked on two field goals in the fourth quarter to secure the win.
COLTS 23, JAGUARS 3
T.Y. Hilton celebrated the birth of his first child with a 73-yard TD catch, spurring a second-half turnaround that allowed Indianapolis to pull away from Jacksonville. Andrew Luck was 21 of 32 for 253 yards with one score, but his streak of consecutive 300-yard games ended at eight – one short of Drew Brees’ NFL record.
BEARS 21, BUCCANEERS 13
Matt Forte rushed for two touchdowns in the third quarter, and the Chicago Bears beat Lovie Smith and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jay Cutler threw a 2-yard TD pass to Alshon Jeffery as the Bears (5-6) scored 21 straight points to erase a 10-0 halftime deficit. Forte had a 13-yard run that put Chicago ahead to stay, and then added a 1-yard plunge that made it 21-10.
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