It didn’t take long for the Rams to make new receiver Odell Beckham Jr. feel welcome — he was Matthew Stafford’s first target on Monday night against the 49ers for a five-yard gain. Three plays later, with second-and-8 from his own 42-yard line, Stafford decided to uncork one deep to Beckham, hoping to surprise San Francisco’s defense early. After all, you’d think, why would you expect Stafford to try and hit his newest receiver, who’d been in the building for less than a week, on a downfield route?
What happened next proved the theory that Stafford should have gone somewhere else with the deep pass.
Jimmie Ward intercepts the deep pass for the @49ers defense! #FTTB
📺: #LARvsSF on ESPN
📱: https://t.co/Pbh7qEl7Sy pic.twitter.com/gTDh4f2LGu— NFL (@NFL) November 16, 2021
Beckham was the outside man in a two-receiver set to the left, and Stafford scrambled a bit to his right after the snap. Stafford threw the ball pretty much directly to 49ers defensive back Jimmie Ward, which is a pretty good sign that quarterback and receiver got their wires crossed.
When Beckham was back on the bench as the 49ers drove downfield, you can see that there was a clear miscommunication on the route. It appeared that Stafford expected Beckham to maintain his presence further away from the boundary, and Beckham clearly thought there was some kind of outside route.
This isn’t an indictment of Beckham’s eventual effectiveness in the Rams’ offense — he and Stafford will need time to get on the same page. Beckham needs to learn new concepts and terminology, and it’s common for quarterbacks and receivers working together early on to get mixed up on even the most simple things.
