EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Odell Beckham, Jr. is on his way to one of the greatest careers by a wide receiver in NFL history. That is not exactly a shocking statement to anyone who has watched Beckham play in his five seasons with the Giants, nor is it simply an opinion of a biased eyewitness.
It is instead a projection based on achievements. Beckham played in his 50th career regular-season game on Sunday when the Giants defeated the Houston Texans, 27-22. The three-time Pro Bowler led all players with nine catches and 109 receiving yards.
Beckham had already set the record for most receptions in the first 50 games of a career – with his second catch in his 48th game. As the charts below demonstrate, his 50-game start leaves him tied for the most 100-yard games and second in receiving yards. He is among the leaders in touchdowns and scoring receptions of 50 or more yards (first place on that list is held by former Giants receiver Homer Jones).
With thanks to the Elias Sports Bureau, this is where Beckham stands 50 games into his career:
MOST RECEPTIONS THROUGH 50 GAMES
Odell Beckham - 337
Anquan Boldin - 314
Jarvis Landry - 307
Keenan Allen - 298
Julio Jones - 287
Note: All but Boldin are still active.
MOST RECEIVING YARDS THROUGH 50 GAMES
Lance Alworth - 4,785
Odell Beckham - 4,695
Julio Jones - 4,471
Randy Moss - 4,272
Jerry Rice - 4,164
Moss and Rice are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Jones plays for the Atlanta Falcons. Note: Alworth
MOST RECEIVING TOUCHDOWNS THROUGH 50 GAMES
Lance Alworth - 45
Jerry Rice - 44
Randy Moss - 43
Rob Gronkowski - 42
Bob Hayes - 42
Odell Beckham - 38
Rice Note: Alworth Moss and Hayes are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Gronkowski a tight end plays for the New England Patriots.
MOST 50-YARD RECEIVING TOUCHDOWNS THROUGH 50 GAMES
Homer Jones - 16
Lance Alworth - 15
Harlon Hill - 12
Elroy (Crazy Legs) Hirsch - 11
Randy Moss - 11
Jerry Rice - 11
Beckham and many others - 10
986 yards) is still the NFL record. Alworth Note: Jones played for the Giants from 1964-69 and for the Cleveland Browns in 1970. His career average of 22.26 yards-per-catch (224 receptions for 4 Hirsch Moss and Rice are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
MOST 100-YARD RECEIVING GAMES THROUGH 50 GAMES
Lance Alworth - 21
Odell Beckham - 21
Julio Jones - 20
Randy Moss - 19
Charley Hennigan - 18
Harlon Hill - 18
Note: Alworth and Moss are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Jones plays for Atlanta.
*When he increased his career to total to 337 catches in Houston on Sunday, Beckham moved past Chris Calloway (334) and into seventh place on the Giants' career list. Hall of Famer Frank Gifford is sixth with 367 receptions.
*With 4,695 yards, Beckham jumped ahead of two other former first-round draft choices – Ike Hilliard (4,630) and Hakeem Nicks (4,676) -- and into eight place on that Giants list. He is directly behind Calloway (4,710) and Kyle Rote (4,797).
*In addition to his receiving yardage, Beckham has additional yardage rushing (54), on punt returns (266) and on one kickoff return (20) for a total of 5,035 yards. He is the 15th player in Giants history with at least 5,000 yards. Jones is directly ahead of him with 5,148.
*Beckham is tied with New Orleans' Michael Thomas for second in the NFL with eight third-down receptions. Minnesota's Adam Thielen is first with 10.
*In Houston, the Giants scored on each of their first four offensive possessions (two touchdowns and two field goals) for the first time since Dec. 30, 2012, when they scored touchdowns on each of their first four offensive series against Philadelphia.
*Eli Manning started his 217th game vs. Houston. Deshaun Watson was the 90th different quarterback he has faced.
*Manning's completion percentage of 86.2 was the second-highest in a full game in his career. It was the eighth game in which he completed more than 76 percent of his passes. Seven of those games were on the road. The lone home game was against New Orleans on Sept. 18, 2016 when he completed 78 percent of his passes (31 of 41). The Giants host the Saints this week.
*The Texans scored on a field goal as time expired in the first half and a touchdown with one second remaining in the game (which merely narrowed the final margin to five points). They were the first Giants opponent to score points with one second remaining (or no time left on clock) in each half since Dallas on Dec. 3, 2006. Martin Gramatica kicked field goals of 41 and 46 yards with one second remaining in each half. The latter kick accounted for the deciding points in the Cowboys' 23-20 victory.
*Saquon Barkley's 68-yard touchdown against Jacksonville remains the longest run in the NFL this season.
*Tight end Rhett Ellison scored the Giants' second touchdown in Houston on a 16-yard pass from Manning. It was the longest reception of Ellison's six career touchdowns. The other five covered, in order: 1, 2, 11, 7 and 12 yards.
