There are plenty of places to put the blame for the New York Giants' Week 5 tie with the Washington Commanders. Cam Skattebo may be the most obvious among them. His fumble in overtime wiped away a clear opportunity for Big Blue to earn its fourth win of the season.
While it was certainly the most consequential, the fumble wasn't Skattebo's first shortcoming of the year. He is averaging just 3.6 yards per carry and has already put the ball on the ground four times in five games. His early-season struggles are putting his long-term standing as the Giants' starting running back in doubt.
But Skattebo can put himself back in John Harbaugh's good graces in Week 6 against the New Orleans Saints.
Giants' Cam Skattebo has an obvious bounce-back opportunity against the Saints
Skattebo is the type of player to run through a brick wall for the sake of the impact. Unfortunately, watching him run the ball on early downs this season has been like watching him try, and fail, to break through that wall.
On early downs, Skattebo ranks 26th of 34 qualifying running backs in EPA per rush and 29th in yards per carry.
That could all change against the Saints. New Orleans has allowed the second-highest EPA per rush and the highest rushing success rate in the league this season. They've allowed an opposing running back to reach 100 rushing yards in each of the last two games. Even 31-year-old Aaron Jones surpassed the century mark against them.
They're not allowing many explosive runs. In fact, they've only given up three carries of 20 or more yards this season. But they allow steady gains on the ground, which is exactly where Skattebo should thrive.
The Saints have lost three consecutive games, and their weak run defense has been a key reason for their slide. They moved on from Demario Davis this offseason, and they're paying the price.
If Skattebo is ever going to have the breakout performance that Giants fans are waiting for, it will come in Week 6. He should see plenty of work on early downs as offensive coordinator Matt Nagy tries to take advantage of the Saints' run defense.
He doesn't need to create breakaway runs — that's not his game. But he should average 4.5 or more yards per carry and lead the Giants to a controlled victory. If he can do that, he'll regain the trust of his coaching staff and the fans.
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