NFL teams
Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Giants, Rams scuffle after late hit

NFL, New York Giants, Los Angeles Rams

ST. LOUIS -- The New York Giants believe the Rams played dirty in Sunday's 37-27 win. The Rams think the Giants, particularly receiver Odell Beckham Jr., were disrespectful.

The result was a chippy game between the teams that resulted in a sideline melee in the second quarter.

Giants linebacker Jameel McClain was heard calling the Rams dirty, saying they "suck as an organization" as he ran into the locker room after the game. He elaborated afterward.

"I'm just not interested," McClain said. "I had a lot of respect for the things their defense did. I'm just not interested in dirty play. It's not what this game is about, and it has no room in this league. I think we showed the proper response as time went on, but I'm not going to accept anyone pushing my family around. It's just unnecessary for a good team, a good organization to allow that to happen consistently."

A late hit by Rams linebacker Alec Ogletree on Beckham sparked a fight between the two sides late in the second quarter of Sunday's game.

With two minutes and 10 seconds to go in the second quarter, Giants quarterback Eli Manning hit Beckham for a gain of 6 as Ogletree tackled Beckham out of bounds on New York's sideline.

Beckham threw a right cross with the ball at Ogletree but didn't connect. Ogletree responded by shoving Beckham.

The fight exploded from there with both teams shoving each other and throwing punches.

"I was very disappointed in the actions on the other sideline," Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. "There's no place for that in the game. It was unfortunate, it got out of hand over there and I thought the officials did a nice job of controlling it."

By the time the officials sorted it all out, they ejected Giants defensive end Damontre Moore and receiver Preston Parker as well as Rams defensive end William Hayes for throwing punches.

Hayes said he was going to the sideline to help remove Ogletree from the situation.

"I was going over there to try to take care of the situation and get Tree [Ogletree] out of there," Hayes said. "Next thing I knew somebody had grabbed me, I turned around, my helmet came off and someone threw a punch at me. Then I just retaliated."

There were three penalties called on the play but only one unnecessary roughness call on the Giants was enforced as it was done toward the officials. The other penalties offset. Moore blew a kiss to Rams fans as he walked toward New York's locker room.

After the Rams' 37-27 loss, Rams safety T.J. McDonald said the Rams were upset with Beckham after he earned a taunting penalty when he spun the ball in the end zone after his 9-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

McDonald earned a taunting penalty of his own on a New York drive in the second quarter when he got in Beckham's face after pushing him out of bounds on a 5-yard completion.

Fisher mentioned that someone had told him Beckham was crowing about setting an NFL record against the Rams defense before the game but he was unsure if that was true.

"He was just doing a little extra, you know what I mean?" McDonald said. "He's a good player and everything ... but he's the only dude that they got, period.

"You spin the ball, it's disrespect. But we were going to make him feel us for the rest of the game."

Beckham said he felt the Rams were targeting him from early in the game.

"From the very first play, it was like a bunch of hawks eyeing you," Beckham said. "And we knew it was going to be like that. Just trying to find a way to keep my composure was something that was difficult today."

Beckham responded by catching eight passes for 148 yards and added an 80-yard touchdown to his earlier score. He did set a record as well, becoming the first rookie in NFL history with 130 or more receiving yards and a touchdown catch in three consecutive games.

ESPN.com New York Giants reporter Dan Graziano contributed to this report.

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