NFL play-offs: Odell Beckham Jr stars as Los Angeles Rams beat Arizona Cardinals

2 years ago 43

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Odell Beckham Jr scores a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals

Odell Beckham Jr scored the first play-off touchdown of his career to set the Los Angeles Rams on course for a 34-11 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

The three-time Pro Bowler made four catches for 54 yards as the Rams dominated the first half to lead 21-0 against the misfiring Cardinals.

Beckham, 29, even made a 40-yard pass on a trick play to set up the Rams' fourth touchdown, for Cooper Kupp.

LA will visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in next week's divisional round.

Arizona were the last team to lose their unbeaten record this season and the first to reach 10 wins, but they came into the post-season with four defeats from their last five games.

And despite having an 8-1 record on the road, they were never in it at LA's SoFi Stadium, which will host Super Bowl 56 on 13 February.

Playing in just his second play-off game - and first since 2017 with the New York Giants - Beckham made an acrobatic catch at the back of the end zone to claim a 17-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

That was Beckham's sixth touchdown in nine games for the Rams, who added him to their star-studded squad after the Cleveland Browns agreed to release the receiver in November.

Matthew Stafford then scored on a quarterback sneak for his first rushing touchdown since 2016 and linebacker David Long Jr scored on an interception return after Arizona's Kyler Murray tossed the ball away from his own end zone, rather than conceding two points for a safety.

The third-year quarterback just couldn't get the Cardinals' offence going in the first half and Beckham showed him how it's done in the third quarter, making a huge play across the field to Cam Akers.

And two plays later Stafford found Cooper Kupp, this season's league leader for receiving yards and touchdowns, for a seven-yard score.

Arizona replied with a James Conner touchdown but the Rams stayed clear to become the final team to progress from the first round of this season's play-offs.

It was also a first post-season win in 186 NFL games for Stafford, 33, in his first season since being traded to the Rams from the Detroit Lions in exchange for Jared Goff and three draft picks.