Odell Beckham Jr.'s hype reaction to long-awaited Ravens debut
After a lengthy wait, Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. made his return to in-game action in Week 1. Beckham, who missed the entirety of the 2022 season recovering from successful ACL surgery, made his Ravens debut in the team’s regular season opener against the Houston Texans. There was a bit of doubt regarding […]
After a lengthy wait, Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. made his return to in-game action in Week 1.
Beckham, who missed the entirety of the 2022 season recovering from successful ACL surgery, made his Ravens debut in the team’s regular season opener against the Houston Texans. There was a bit of doubt regarding the wideout’s status for the game after he ended up being a limited participant in practice on Thursday due to an ankle injury, but he was removed from Baltimore’s injury report on Friday.
Beckham did not emerge as a go-to target for Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson during the contest, but he sure left quite an impact on the field. The veteran wide receiver drew a pair of defensive pass interference calls, and he hauled in two receptions for 37 receiving yards, including a 29-yard reception in the fourth quarter on a drive that culminated in a field goal for the AFC North side.
After the game, Beckham took to Twitter to react to his much-anticipated Ravens debut.
For Beckham, it was quite a sigh of relief to be back on the field after such a lengthy injury recovery process.
"It's truly a blessing," Beckham said after the game. "It's easier to come into the game and say, 'No matter what happens, as long as you're still healthy and we win, I'm going to have a smile on my face.' And obviously, I do have a smile on my face, but the competitor in me, the strive for greatness — all of those things — is not necessarily happy with my performance so much today. But it's so not about me.
“It's been a long journey, as I've always just said. I was working that hard just to get back on the field, and even if I was to catch one football a game, I just feel like I couldn't go out that way to end my career.”
Beckham and the Ravens will now look ahead to a road game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2.
Featured image credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
