From the time that the first whistle blew on Sunday’s game, Odell Beckham Jr., knew that he had a long day ahead of him.

In the weeks leading up to this game, cornerback Josh Norman of the Carolina Panthers was preparing himself for his toughest matchup of the year.

Beckham, the Giants standout wide receiver, is third in the NFL in receiving yards with 1,396 so far this season. He is also tied for the league lead in touchdowns with 13.

This was nothing new to Norman, though. He had previously faced wide receivers such as Dez Bryant and Julio Jones, shutting down both of them.

In the minds of many, Norman has worked his way into the conversation for the Defensive Player of the Year.

Cooler heads did not prevail in this high profile matchup of two of the NFL’s premier players.

Throughout the game, on many different occasions, skirmishes broke out between the two with a few of them resulting in penalties. No one was tossed, though, and the NFL is also looking into why the officials let things get so out of hand.

The question is, who do we blame for the outbreak on Sunday. I guess that the NFL made the executive decision that Beckham was to blame. The NFL came down hard with a one-game suspension, which could jeopardize any remaining chances that the Giants have at making the playoffs.

Beckham is appealing his suspension, and hoping for mercy from Commissioner Roger Goodell. Many belief that the future of this season for the Giants will come down to the decision that Goodell makes on Beckham.

Recently, we have seen the NFL come down with some pretty hefty fines for conduct flags during games. One of the most popular recipients to these suspensions was former Lions defensive tackle and now Dolphins defensive end, Ndamukong Suh.

Suh is the perfect example of the NFL attempting to protect its players. Suh was fined $70,000 and suspended from the Lions playoff game in 2014 for intentionally stepping on Packers QB Aaron Rodgers.

The Giants can only hope that Goodell will be in the Christmas spirit by overruling the suspension and saving any chance of making the playoffs.