Beckham breaks ankle as Giants fall

Odell Beckham Jr. was among four New York Giants receivers injured on Sunday, breaking an ankle as the team fell 27-22 to the previously winless Los Angeles Chargers.

Beckham covered his face with a towel as he was taken from the field in a cart with four minutes left in the fourth quarter.

He had landed awkwardly, with his left ankle trapped against the ground, after leaping to try to catch a pass.

The Giants, seeking their first win of the season, had jumped out to a 9-0 first-quarter lead, aided by running back Orleans Darkwa's 23-yard touchdown run.

Before Darkwa's run, the Giants got two points on a safety after Chargers center Spencer Pulley snapped the ball before quarterback Philip Rivers was ready.

It was an inauspicious start for the Chargers, but it ended up being a disastrous day for the Giants, who by the time Beckham went down had already seen receivers Brandon Marshall, Dwayne Harris and Sterling Shepard ruled out.

"We had three ankles and a foot," Giants coach Ben McAdoo said of the four injured receivers, adding that Harris appeared to have a broken foot.

Shortly after McAdoo addressed reporters, the team tweeted that Beckham's ankle was broken.

It's a huge blow to the struggling Giants.

Early in the fourth, the explosive receiver had caught a 48-yard touchdown pass as the Giants took a 22-17 lead.

The Chargers had narrowed the gap to 22-20 with a field goal before Beckham was hurt.

And on the next play after their offensive standout went down, Giants quarterback Eli Manning was sacked deep in his own territory by the Chargers' Melvin Ingram, who stripped Manning of the ball.

Three plays later, Rivers connected with Melvin Gordon in the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown.

Rivers threw three touchdown passes as the Chargers ended a nine-game losing streak that dated back to last November -- before their move from San Diego to Los Angeles this season.

Source: AFP