NFC Notes: Cardinals, Rams, Odell Beckham

Cardinals

Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill said he’s upset by the way the team’s season ended.

“Disappointing for everybody,” Bidwill said, via Kent Somers. “For our players, for our coaches, certainly for our fans and certainly as a fan myself, it was very disappointing. We have high expectations. We need to play better. We had a lot of great success in 2021. I don’t want to take away from that, but we can get better and that’s what we’re working on now.”

• Bidwill specifically mentioned he doesn’t like that two division rivals in the Rams and 49ers are playing in the NFC Championship Game: “Anytime you see your direct competitors in the playoffs, it should bother any football fan and it certainly bothers this one.” (Somers)
  

Rams

Rams QB Matthew Stafford earned his first career playoff win last week in the wildcard round against the Cardinals. The competition leveled up exponentially though in a divisional round battle against the Buccaneers and QB Tom Brady. Despite Stafford keying Los Angeles to a commanding lead, it seemed like Brady was about to add 27-3 to his legacy alongside the 28-3 Super Bowl comeback after Tampa Bay tied the game within the final minute. Stafford had just 42 seconds on the final drive to get into field goal range, and it proved to be enough. 

“To me, when you just see that dude, in crunch time, divisional game, going on the road, they tie it up after you have a huge lead, no flinch, no blink?” Rams HC Sean McVay said via Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. “He was a bad MF-er in that situation.”

“When they tied it up, you’re looking at it and saying Man,” McVay added. “But I genuinely had such confidence in our guys that I felt like we were going to be able to get ourselves a chance to kick a field goal as time expired before we had to go into overtime. And they answered the bell.”

Odell Beckham

Rams WR Odell Beckham Jr. said he wants to change his reputation with his play moving forward. He’s had a successful second half of the season with Los Angeles and has his first playoff wins under his belt ahead of another stab at free agency in March. 

“I mean as a player, I’m still evolving,” Beckham to Josina Anderson. “Like, to be honest with you, I feel like in the next couple of years — God willing the season plays out the way it’s supposed to, you win the Super Bowl — the next couple of years for me are going to be my best years in football. Like, obliterate the New York stuff, and just like have a whole different career.”

“As a man, I feel like I’m in the best place in my life — growth, experience, just all of those things have kind of taken a toll and put me in a place of just peace in my life. That’s probably one of the biggest lessons that I have, just finding myself at peace. So I’m very excited with where I am at in my life, knowing that I’m still just scratching the surface.”