OBJ enters locker room before halftime in big loss

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. walked off the field and into the locker room before the final play of the first half of a 34-13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night. He did not return to the sideline until after the opening kickoff of the second half.

There were two seconds remaining in the first half and the Giants were trailing 24-6 when Beckham strutted into the tunnel. The Giants ran one final play before halftime with their offense on the field.

Beckham was nowhere to be seen when Sterling Shepard caught a desperation 20-yard pass on the final play of the half. Two weeks ago, Beckham left early in a loss to the New Orleans Saints to get an IV. He returned in that game for the start of the second half.

It all seems to be spiraling out of control once again for Beckham and the Giants, who at 1-5 own the worst record in the NFL. According to a report by Fox Sports, the star receiver was fined for comments he made in an interview last week with ESPN’s Josina Anderson.

Beckham had two catches on four targets for 12 yards in the first half on Thursday night, as the Giants’ offense was a discombobulated mess. Quarterback Eli Manning was 10-of-23 passing for 163 yards with an interception as the Giants managed just two field goals in the opening 30 minutes.

But Manning was just 1-of-10 on passes of 3 or more air yards in the first half, according to ESPN Stats & Information. He had at least five passes that came close to being intercepted before halftime.

The Giants were clearly frustrated, from their quarterback to their receivers to their coach. Manning at one point showed a rare display of emotion when he yelled at running back Wayne Gallman after a miscommunication between the two on a second-quarter play.

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Odell Beckham Jr. continues to express his frustrations on the sidelines as he head-butts a cooling fan.

Coach Pat Shurmur was even caught on camera in the second quarter appearing to say, “Throw the ball!” after Manning dumped a second-and-long pass to Cody Latimer in the flat. Manning then dumped a third-and-long pass well short of the first-down marker before the Giants punted.

The frustration spilled into the second half, when Beckham banged his head and threw light jabs at a fan on the sideline. He needed to be calmed by rookie running back Saquon Barkley, who had just run for a 50-yard touchdown to make it 31-13 in favor of the Eagles.

Barkley, who finished with 130 yards rushing and 99 receiving, was the Giants’ lone positive from the disappointing effort. He had two 40-plus-yard runs in the contest and 229 total yards. The Giants had just two 40-plus runs from 2015 to ’17.

Beckham had six catches on 10 targets for 44 yards.

There was optimism with the Giants’ offense heading into Thursday night’s game. It had scored 30 points for the first time since the final week of the 2015 season Sunday against the Carolina Panthers.