Homecoming for Giants tight end Beckum

It was probably the most glorious moment of Travis Beckum's three-year career.

On the third snap of the game, he caught a pass from Eli Manning over safety Charlie Peprah, made a cut on safety Morgan Burnett, then another move against Peprah before reaching the end zone for a 67-yard touchdown. Though the Giants would lose that Dec. 4 game, 38-35, the play sent a message to the Packers that the Giants had come to play.

For Beckum, it was a little more personal -- he grew up watching the Packers.

The only thing that probably would have made it better? If it had happened in his home state of Wisconsin (he was born in Milwaukee) and not in New Jersey.

He'll get a chance to accomplish that Sunday. Beckum may have grown up in the Badger State -- he was one of the top recruits at the University of Wisconsin, where he played his college ball -- but he's been to Lambeau Field only once. That was for last season's disappointing 45-17 loss in Week 16, and he didn't catch a pass. Now he and the Giants are going back to the 'Beau for an NFC divisional playoff game.

"I'd never been to Lambeau, but I know it's an historic place," Beckum said. "I know there's a lot of tradition there. I know that the fans are wild, I know they're very supportive. It's going to be a tough place to play, but as long as we go down there and handle our business, we shouldn't be worried too much."

When the Giants drafted Beckum in the third round in 2009, they thought there would be a lot of those types of plays, the winding 67-yarders in which he exploited mismatches in the secondary. But that one has stood alone. It accounts for more than one-quarter of his 264 career receiving yards.

"It was a hell of a play," Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride said, noting how the Packers rolled a safety to Hakeem Nicks that left Beckum open after he beat Peprah. "They tried to recover and of course he made that serpentine finish to the run, and it was just a great run."

That it came so early in the game -- it marked the first time the Giants had scored a first-half touchdown in five games and was only their second opening-drive touchdown of the season -- made it all the more spectacular.

"That's what you want to do, especially with a team like that, a team that is very good offensively," Beckum said. "You want to capitalize on what the defense gives us and we looked to that and early . . . Nobody in the locker room that week thought that we couldn't win that football game. Eli made a good throw and I put us on the scoreboard first and our team fed off that. Unfortunately, we ended up losing on the last drive, but throughout the game, I think Green Bay knew that we were preparing for them all week."

So why haven't those plays happened more often for Beckum?

Well, in that game, Gilbride noted that the Packers adjusted their coverage and went with a nickel package instead of covering him with a safety. But overall, the answer is injuries that have kept Beckum from progressing in the offense.

After his signature play, he had to leave the game with a chest injury, and he missed the Dallas game the next week.

Now, though, Beckum said he is feeling "perfect," although he admitted to a slight exaggeration. "But I'm good," he quickly added.

And looking forward to going to his home state for a game against the team he grew up watching, even if it was just on television and not from seats inside Lambeau.

He said he'll have a lot of family and friends in attendance. They were at the December 2010 game there, too.

Of course, given that they're from Wisconsin, they're almost all Packers fans.

"Normally," Beckum said of whom they root for. "But not this week."