John Harbaugh tried to wave away Cam Skattebo’s Week 6 disappearance, but the explanation only made the situation look stranger.
After Skattebo’s costly overtime fumble in last week’s tie against the Washington Commanders, the expectation was that the running back would pay for it somehow. Instead, the punishment in the Giants’ 34-27 loss to the New Orleans Saints was extreme: Skattebo did not get a single carry and played only six snaps.
The rest of the backfield didn’t exactly make the case for a different approach. Tyrone Tracy Jr., Najee Harris, and Devin Singletary combined for 34 yards on 14 carries, and the group as a whole struggled to make any kind of impact.
Tracy finished with 18 yards on six carries and added two touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving. Singletary posted 14 yards on four carries.
Harris managed just two yards on four carries.
After the game, Harbaugh was pressed on why Skattebo never touched the ball. His answer was that it "wasn't by design" and that he does not view it as a benching. Harbaugh said Skattebo wasn’t getting carries because the Giants weren’t calling run plays in those moments, and he pointed to the fact that the team had been down by 24 points at one stage.
He also said he wanted to give all of the running backs "equal reps" to find out who could step up, while acknowledging none of them managed to do it.
When reporters pushed further on whether Skattebo’s quiet night was tied to the fumble or simply the flow of the game, Harbaugh bristled.
“I don’t know what else to say. That’s the best answer you can ever get on that in 1,000 years.
There’s not a coach in the world that will give you a better answer than that. If you’re not thrilled with that answer, I got nothing else for you, honestly," said Harbaugh.
That denial is hard to square with what happened on the field. Skattebo may not have been sharp this season, but he brings more explosiveness than the other options in the backfield, and the decision to leave him without a carry makes Harbaugh’s insistence that it wasn’t a benching feel even more awkward.
Skattebo sounded like he understood exactly what happened. Speaking after the game, he said, "I got punished for what I did, and I understand. So, I've got to be ready when coach calls my name and that wasn't today," said Skattebo.
The bigger picture around the Giants backfield isn’t exactly subtle, either. The team had been linked to Kenneth Walker in free agency reports, and during the NFL Draft they were connected to Jeremiyah Love, who was ultimately drafted third-overall by the Arizona Cardinals. Given that backdrop, it wouldn’t be a shock if the Giants look for a new starter next offseason.
For now, the question is whether Skattebo gets an actual chance next week against the Houston Texans.
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