CLEVELAND, Ohio — Browns safety John Johnson III, who hated to see Odell Beckham Jr. leave Cleveland, questioned how the receiver would work out with Johnson’s former Rams team. But it’s gone much better than the safety expected.
In eight games with L.A., Beckham has six TD catches, including a 4-yarder in their 34-11 wild-card victory over the Cardinals last week. It was only Beckham’s second playoff game in eight seasons, and his first victory. It was also his first playoff TD catch.
For comparison’s sake, Beckham caught only seven TD passes in 29 games with the Browns — and one of those was from Jarvis Landry in the victory over Dallas last season.
But his TD catch vs. the Cardinals was only one of his clutch plays. He also caught a 31-yard pass to set up a Matt Stafford touchdown run that made it 14-0, and threw a beautiful 40-yard strike to Cam Akers off a backward pass from Stafford to set up a TD toss to Cooper Kupp for a commanding 28-0 edge in the third quarter.
“That’s a play we practiced this week,” Stafford said. “Odell is a super talented guy. He made that throw right-handed. He could probably do it left-handed, too. He’s a freak.”
Beckham’s heroics haven’t been lost on his former Browns teammates, some of whom congratulated him on Twitter. One who’s likely pleasantly surprised is Johnson, who wasn’t sure there was room for two big stars in Beckham and Kupp, the NFL’s reception, yardage and TD leader this season.
“They had a good thing going, like a complete offense,’’ Johnson said the day Beckham signed with the Rams. “I just feel like from being in L.A., I know for a fact that offense runs through Cooper Kupp, even in the run game, the pass game, the screen game. ... Obviously Odell’s a big name and he’s going to want that attention as well.
“So it will be interesting. Coach [Sean] McVay, he’s one of the best doing it. I know he’ll find a way to get it done, but just right off the bat, I’m like, I wouldn’t really want to go there if I were him, but we’ll see how it goes.”
Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey is thrilled for Beckham.
“My reaction was that was dope because I saw them practice that play,” Ramsey said of Beckham’s pass this week. “And I was happy to see Odell complete a pass to Cam on top of that, both of them my dudes. So that was dope. It was a play that brought a lot of energy in the whole stadium and having him as a teammate is great, honestly.
“And then, he’s kind of misunderstood too. He’s a really good teammate and people kind of don’t have that message out about him, but he really is a really good teammate. He’s just super competitive, and wants to be great, and wants everybody around him to be great. So, that’s just the type of guy he is.”
Beckham, 29, and his teammates face the defending Super Bowl champion Bucs on Sunday in Tampa. The matchup features the second-highest scoring team (Tampa, 30.1 points per game) vs. the third-highest (Rams, 27.1).
Burrowing in
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is one victory away from the AFC Championship Game in only his second NFL season. He’ll face the 12-5 Titans on Saturday, who are expected have 2020 Offensive Player of the Year Derrick Henry back from a foot injury.
Burrow set franchise records for passing yards (4,611) and TD passes (34) this season. He finished second to Aaron Rodgers (111.9) with a 108.3 QB rating, and in his past five starts, he’s averaged 344 yards per game with 13 TDs without an interception -- a 130.2 rating.
Burrow, who led the Bengals to their first AFC North crown since 2015, will oppose Ryan Tannehill, who finished 20th with an 89.6 rating this season (21 TDs, 14 INTs).
The Bengals are seeking their first AFC Championship Game since 1988.
Top 10 QBs are the move
The common denominator for making it to the Divisional Round is a top 10 quarterback.
Of the eight remaining quarterbacks, six are in the top 10 in passer rating. Besides Rodgers and Burrow, the others are Stafford (sixth, 102.9), the Bucs’ Tom Brady (seventh, 102.1), the 49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo (ninth, 98.7), and K.C.’s Patrick Mahomes (10th, 98.5).
The two outside of the top 10 are Buffalo’s Josh Allen (16, 92.9) and Tannehill (20, 89.6).
In addition, six of the eight threw 34 touchdown passes or more, and two topped 40 - the ones who will square off Sunday at 3 p.m.: Brady with 43 and Stafford with 41.
It’s clear that excellent quarterback play is the way to advance in the playoffs. The Browns expect to be better in that category next season after Baker Mayfield, who underwent surgery Wednesday to repair the torn labrum in his left shoulder, finished 27th with a 83.1 passer rating.
Ravens part ways with DC Martindale
In a surprising late Friday move, Ravens coach John Harbaugh announced the parting of ways with four-year defensive coordinator Don ‘Wink’ Martindale, saying they’ve “agreed to move forward in separate directions.”
“We have had a great run on defense, and I am very proud of what has been accomplished and the work he has done,” Harbaugh said. “Don has been a major contributor to the success of our defense since 2012, and especially since he became defensive coordinator four years ago. He has done a great job. Now it is time to pursue other opportunities.
“Sometimes the moment comes, and it’s the right time. I am personally grateful for our friendship and for everything he has done in Baltimore.”
In Martindale’s first three seasons as Ravens defensive coordinator from 2018-20, the Ravens led the league in fewest points allowed (18.2) and yards allowed (307.8) according to ESPN Stats and Info. This season, they fell to 25th in those categories.
The Ravens, who lost All-Pro cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters to season-ending injuries, were not the defense the Browns struggled against in recent years.
Ravens defensive line coach Anthony Weaver, who coached that position for the Browns in 2014-15, is a candidate to replace Martindale, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, and Martindale is expected to be a hot commodity for coordinator openings.
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