The New York Giants escaped Week 5 with a ... tie? It was a weird NFC East showdown with the Washington Commanders, to say the least, and running back Cam Skattebo had an up-and-down day.
A glance at the box score might lead many to believe that Skattebo had a decent outing in the Giants' 27-27 overtime draw in Washington. He ran for 59 yards on 13 carries and added another 12 yards on two receptions. His late-game fumble nearly cost them, though.
Frankly, Skattebo was bailed out by a Commanders brain fart. He's incredibly fortunate that his miscue wasn't as catastrophic as it could've been if New York lost. Lest we forget, we heard him talk a pretty big game heading into the matchup — only to fall well short of lofty personal expectations.
Cam Skattebo doesn't deliver on his promise and costs the Giants
Days before facing the Commanders, Skattebo was asked about the weather conditions that ultimately were a factor. He replied, "I already told [offensive coordinator Matt Nagy]. Just give me the ball [and] we'll be fine."
Well, the G-Men listened to Skattebo and gave him the ball. The problem is that he didn't walk the talk. In fact, his efforts were quite the opposite.
Most of Skattebo's production against Washington came while New York trailed for much of the final two-plus quarters. He had 12 scoreless yards on six totes at halftime and posted 33 yards in the bonus period. The positive moments were few and far between.
Big Blue's best offensive performance since losing franchise quarterback Jaxson Dart to a season-ending knee injury came when Skattebo was quiet. On the one hand, it's encouraging that they successfully moved the ball despite their bell cow's struggles. On the other hand, however, the one-dimensional approach makes winning tight contests a challenge, as they experienced firsthand.
Cam Skattebo, Giants RBs putting too much pressure on Jameis Winston
No sugarcoating: New York will need more from Skattebo and its backfield to remain competitive moving forward. Not only did his comments age poorly, but he also forced the club to lean on backup-turned-starting-signal-caller Jameis Winston.
Winston attempted a whopping 54 passes. He's recorded at least 50 attempts only once since the turn of the decade, and that was back in 2024. While his gunslinging ways were the difference in Washington, it's probably best to insulate the erratic veteran from the turnovers that plague him.
If you gave Giants head coach John Harbaugh truth serum, he'd probably tell you they don't want to lean on backup-turned-starting signal-caller Jameis Winston's arm. Look no further than the 2015 No. 1 overall pick's previous two appearances heading into the clash with the Commanders. Only two teams, the Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons, logged a lower pass rate over expected across Weeks 3 and 4 (-7.5 percent).
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