Ravens' Beckham: 100-yard performance vs. Bengals was 'long time coming'

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. showed why he earned three Pro Bowl nods, hauling in four catches for 116 yards in Thursday's win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

It marked Beckham's first 100-yard receiving game since posting nine catches for 113 yards against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game during the Los Angeles Rams' Super Bowl LVI title run in 2021. It’s a performance that the 31-year-old wideout believes was overdue.

"It's been a long time coming," Beckham said postgame, according to the Baltimore Sun's Brian Wacker. "Been a lot of hard work."

He added: "Early on in the season, I was hurting. I couldn't be myself. I didn't have the explosion. I couldn't move the way that I wanted to and I don't think people really knew what I was dealing with."

Beckham exited the game after he was tackled by Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson on his final catch of the night and appeared to favor his left shoulder while walking off the field. He downplayed the ailment, insisting that he was feeling fine postgame.

The veteran receiver is in the midst of his first season back on the field after being sidelined in 2022 with a knee injury that was sustained in Super Bowl LVI with the Rams. Prior to Thursday, Beckham posted touchdowns in back-to-back contests. He missed two games due to an ankle injury earlier this season.

Baltimore signed Beckham to one-year contract that’s worth up to $15 million, according to Spotrac.

The Ravens are expected to lean on Beckham after likely losing Mark Andrews for the rest of the season due to an ankle injury he sustained in Thursday's win.