Odell Beckham Jr., Josh Norman Comment on Matchup After Panthers vs. Giants

From an entertainment standpoint, Sunday’s showdown between the Carolina Panthers and New York Giants may have been the best game of the 2015 season. It featured the undefeated Panthers jumping out to a 28-point lead, a Giants comeback to tie it and then a game-winning field goal from Graham Gano as time expired following an impressive Cam Newton drive to give Carolina the 38-35 win.

Then, there was the sideshow between Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and Panthers cornerback Josh Norman.

The two are among the best in the league at their respective positions and were often matched up together on the field. That alone is enough to draw the interest of fans, but they jawed back and forth, picked up personal foul penalties and were in each other’s faces throughout the game.

Beckham appeared to lose his composure multiple times, as Norman locked him down during the early stages of the contest, but he did finish with 76 receiving yards and a touchdown that tied the game in the fourth quarter. He didn’t hesitate to celebrate after the score, stepping over Norman in the end zone and mocking Newton’s usual touchdown celebration. 

The NFL shared the play:   

Excitement aside, it got ugly when Beckham launched himself at Norman in the open field and made contact with his helmet. Norman responded and picked up a personal foul of his own after the receiver was flagged for the play.

In fact, Beckham picked up four penalties throughout the game, which Adam Schefter of ESPN.com said was tied for the most by a wide receiver in one contest in the last 15 years. Schefter reported Monday morning the "NFL [is] discussing discipline for [Beckham Jr.], but based on conversations with league sources, a 1-game suspension is likely."

Norman did not hold back when asked about Beckham following the victory, per Steve Overmyer of CBS 2 in New York: “F--k him. He's a b---h! [sic] Screw him and his whole setup.” Per Kevin Armstrong of the New York Daily News, Norman added, "I hope I pulled back the mask on who this guy really is."

Norman retweeted a user who made fun of Beckham following the Panthers' victory:

He also said Beckham’s maturity level was “like a little kid,” per James Kratch of NJ Advance Media. Jenny Vrentas of Sports Illustrated highlighted Norman’s overall opinion of Beckham’s decision to single the cornerback out on the personal foul penalty:

Beckham was asked if he lost his composure and said, “I feel like we should have won the game,” per Dan Graziano of ESPN.com.

Jesse Spector of Sporting News also passed along this interaction: “Beckham asked point-blank why he launched himself helmet-to-helmet. Looked away, just said, ‘Anybody?’ and moved on.”

The two in the middle of the scuffles weren’t the only ones to weigh in, as Black and Blue Review noted: “Asked why he thought Beckham acted like he did today, Cortland Finnegan: ‘Maybe it's in his blood. Maybe it's female-related.’”

Newton said, “You got a field full of alpha males you're not going to play pattycake pattycake,” per Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer.

On Monday, Eli Manning defended his wide receiver, telling reporters of Norman: "To the media he just cried a little bit. I didn't think that was necessary."

Manning added Beckham "took the high road" after the game and that he was "proud of him in that aspect."

The Panthers were clearly frustrated with Beckham, but they are undefeated and on their way to the playoffs. New York is 6-8 and running out of time to make a move in the NFC East, which means Norman gets the last laugh.