Cam Skattebo’s afternoon ended with a scare, but the New York Giants came away with an overtime win over the Houston Texans and a clearer picture of what happened to their running back.
Skattebo was in the middle of setting up the Giants in extra time when he appeared to get hurt. After Houston forced a punt on the opening drive of overtime, Skattebo broke loose for a 42-yard run, then slid to the turf before contact came. That play helped put New York in position for the game-winning touchdown, but it also left him dealing with an injury he later confirmed after the game.
The second-year back told ESPN’s Dan Graziano that he has a hamstring injury. “Cam Skattebo said he wasn’t sliding on purpose on the play that set up Devin Singletary’s game-winning touchdown,” Graziano relayed. “Said he felt something in his hamstring and knew they were in FG range so he slid.”
Skattebo at least has a little breathing room now. The Giants are headed into a bye, and he said that timing should help him get right before the team returns in Week 9 against the Washington Commanders. “Good thing we have a bye week,” Skattebo said.
The injury capped a week that looked a lot different from the way Week 5 went for him. After fumbling problems landed him in the doghouse, he was limited to six snaps with no carries in Week 6. Then he answered back in a big way against Houston, rushing for a career-high 124 yards and scoring a touchdown.
His 42-yard burst in overtime was also the longest run of his career.
Skattebo didn’t just rebound on Sunday. He looked like a back running with a point to prove, and he may have earned his role back in the process.
The Giants got another strong sign from J.J. McCarthy, too.
The former first-round pick has started to look like a different quarterback than the one the Minnesota Vikings sent away in a trade to New York late last month. He finished 20-of-28 for 252 yards and showed the kind of accuracy and decision-making the Giants were hoping to see.
If McCarthy keeps playing like this, the first-place Giants have a real chance to take control of a messy NFC East.
In Other News...
DeMeco Ryans Sounds Alarm After Texans Loss Exposes Bigger Problems
The Texans came out of overtime with another costly loss, and the bigger concern inside the locker room was how many familiar issues showed up at once. At 2-5, Houston is staring at an uneven start that has been shaped not just by missed chances, but by the kind of sloppy stretches that can undo a game in a hurry. DeMeco Ryans pointed to the offense, the penalties and the coverage breakdowns after the loss to the Giants, all of which left the Texans trying to explain why a winnable afternoon slipped away.
Amid the frustration, there was at least one encouraging sign in Tank Dell's return. Dell made a 43-yard catch-and-run and gave Houston a burst it has been missing, and Ryans said the team plans to expand his workload going forward. For a Texans offense looking for answers, getting Dell back into a bigger role could matter just as much as cleaning up the mistakes that have piled up around him. [Read more 🡒]
Texans Have A Bigger Problem Than The Halftime Score
The first half in Houston had the look of a game that could tilt either way, with the Texans and Giants trading scoring drives and settling into a 14-14 tie at the break. Ka'imi Fairbairn helped keep Houston in it with long field goals, while Marvin Harrison Jr. gave the offense a touchdown catch to answer New York's strikes from Tyrone Tracy and Jameis Winston.
But the bigger concern for Houston was not the scoreboard so much as how quickly the Giants were able to answer and how little separation the Texans managed to create. A tied halftime can still leave plenty of room for a clean finish, but it also leaves the Texans with a need for sharper execution on both sides if they want to avoid letting a winnable game slip away. [Read more 🡒]
Woody Marks Suddenly Has A Texans Opportunity Fans Need To Watch
David Montgomery being ruled out with a groin injury changes the Texans backfield picture in a hurry, and it leaves Woody Marks in line for a much bigger role than he has had to carry so far. With Jawhar Jordan also unavailable, Houstons running game suddenly leans on a player who will need to handle the bulk of the work against the New York Giants, with Dare Ogunbowale and Deuce Vaughn behind him for support.
Offensive coordinator Nick Caley has already signaled that Marks should see a significant workload, which makes this one of the more interesting roster developments heading into the week. For a Texans offense looking to keep balance, the question now is not whether Marks will be involved, but how the team chooses to deploy him with the depth chart thinned out around him. [Read more 🡒]