Giants running back Cam Skattebo, after committing a key fumble in overtime in Week 5, played only six snaps and had no touches in Week 6. He was apparently released from coach John Harbaugh’s doghouse.
Via ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, Harbaugh said Friday that Skattebo had a “good week” of practice and that he should come back to the running back rotation Sunday in Houston.
“It’s been good, you know; I think I’ve learned a lesson,” Skattebo said, via Raanan. “I don’t know if it was from them or from myself, but I kind of had to step back and look at that and figure out why I was doing the things that I was doing, what was happening. I came to practice, I fixed those things, I worked on them. Ready to go back out there and play ball. . . .
“I took care of the ball in training, and whatever my role is on Sunday, that’s going to be my role and I’m going to give it everything I have.”
Beyond Skattebo being left out of the game plan against the Saints, he and the rest of the team received a wake-up call about who was in charge when running back Najee Harris was left out just two days after publicly questioning the running game’s approach.
“No one is safe,” Skattebo said. “It’s as simple as that. I think when we go out on the field and we play, if we don’t perform, we understand that there is a possibility that I won’t be there. If I don’t play, I know that there is a possibility that I won’t be there. We arrived this week. We continue to work. We know where we are. We know what we have. If we show that, everything will be fine.”
For the season, Skattebo has 81 carries for 294 yards and a touchdown. He averages 3.6 yards per carry.
Last week, three Giants running backs managed in a 34-27 loss to New Orleans. Tyrone Tracy ran six times for 18 yards, Devin Singletary had four attempts for 14 yards and Harris had two carries for four yards. Quarterback JJ McCarthy led the team in rushing with 26 yards on two attempts.
With McCarthy getting his first start in less than four weeks via trade, the Giants need to put in a solid effort on the ground to make it easier for McCarthy to handle the passing game. Skattebo will have the opportunity to provide the punch that the Giants were missing in Week 6.
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