Cam Skattebo made the Giants’ backfield decision a whole lot simpler in Houston.
After a game in which he never touched the ball against New Orleans, Skattebo handled 17 carries Sunday and turned them into 124 rushing yards in New York’s 27-21 overtime win over the Texans. He also scored a touchdown and ripped off a 42-yard run in overtime, the kind of burst that can change a game in one snap.
That run mattered immediately. It put the Giants in position for Devin Singletary’s winning touchdown on the next play.
But the bigger story is what came before that sprint. Take away the 42-yard burst and Skattebo still had 82 yards on his other 16 carries, a little more than five yards per attempt. That’s the part the Giants should care about as they head into the bye: this wasn’t a one-play illusion.
New York’s postgame review backed that up, crediting Skattebo with six forced missed tackles and four explosive carries, according to Next Gen Stats.
Singletary made his case too. He finished with 41 rushing yards on five carries, added three catches for 14 yards and capped the day with a 30-yard touchdown. Sunday’s result pointed less toward one back taking over completely and more toward a rotation that can actually work.
Tyrone Tracy Jr.’s hamstring injury complicates the picture. He left in the second quarter, and there’s no confirmed timetable for his return. That leaves the Giants with a Week 8 bye to sort out more than one backfield scenario before they move on to Philadelphia.
The real question now is whether Skattebo’s workload grows into something stable, not whether he should be handed every carry. One big afternoon doesn’t fix a run game by itself, but it does give the Giants plenty of reason to stop treating him like a disappearing act after one rough offensive showing. After the bye, his role ought to look more like Sunday’s version - with Singletary still part of the mix and Tracy’s status handled on its own schedule.
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Former Texan Gave Giants Fans The Perfect Upset Ending
The Giants had already done plenty to make life difficult for Houston, leaning on a rushing attack that kept the game tight and gave them a chance late on the road. Cam Skattebo led the way with 124 yards and a touchdown, helping New York keep the Texans off balance long enough for a costly matchup to turn into a true upset bid.
Devin Singletary then delivered the finish, breaking loose for the decisive score in overtime to send the Giants home with a 27-21 victory. It was a satisfying twist for New York, and an especially notable one for Singletary, who had spent the 2023 season in Houston before ending this one with the kind of outcome that leaves both sides thinking about what might have been. [Read more 🡒]