Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. defended his effort after he didn't dive for an onside kick that the Bears recovered in Sunday's 30-27 overtime win over Chicago.

After the Bears kicked a field goal with 1:13 remaining, Chicago lined up for an onside kick. Kicker Cody Parkey one-hopped it and it went in Beckham's direction. While Giants safety Curtis Riley missed a block, Beckham appeared to hesitate, allowing Chicago's Daniel Brown to recover.

"It was a great kick," Beckham said, according to ESPN's Jordan Raanan. "Sometimes, somebody makes a better play than you do. I can dive in there and still not get the ball. It was a very tough call."

Bears recover the onside kick!

📺: FOX #DaBears pic.twitter.com/FpeHTDhwiw
- NFL (@NFL) December 2, 2018

In Brown recovering the kick, Chicago drove 53 yards downfield in 1:13, capped by Tarik Cohen's game-tying 1-yard pass to tight end Anthony Miller as time expired in regulation following a defensive pass interference penalty in the end zone.

Aldrick Rosas kicked a field goal in overtime and the Giants defense held on for New York's third win in four games, even though it took overtime.

Still, Beckham defended himself after the game.

"Nobody should ever question my effort or my heart," Beckham said, according to SNY.tv's Ralph Vacchiano. "That's the last thing you can do. You can question me as a person, as a man, whatever you want, but my heart and my effort can never be questioned. Ever."

Beckham otherwise had a strong game. Though he was relatively quiet as a receiver -- he caught three of nine targets for 35 yards with a 1-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter -- his biggest play came on a trick play when he took an end-around and threw downfield for a 49-yard touchdown pass to Russell Shepard.

"I never question O's effort," Shepard said, according to Raanan. "Never question his heart. He wants to win. He's a big reason why we won. He gave us emotion. He gave us leadership. He said some things to us pregame and halftime that pushed us over the edge."

Popular in the Community