It took one week for Giants to run into Cam Skattebo-sized nightmare

I remember it like it was yesterday: the New York Giants were full of life, giving themselves a chance to win every week on the backs of their two electric rookies, Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo. And then, in an instant, the football gods sent the fun police to Lincoln Financial Field to crush the little hope Giants fans had left, dislocating Skatt's ankle, sidelining him for the year.

Times were simpler back then. Fast-forward two weeks, and the ground game is showing some real signs of cracking.

After Skattebo’s injury was announced, second-year running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. spoke to the media about embracing a “next man up” mentality. However the opportunity arose, he said it’s on him to take advantage and execute. Unfortunately, it's taken him some time for his actions to catch up with his words.

Tyrone Tracy Jr. needs to step up for Giants in Cam Skattebo's absence

Since Skatt went down in Week 8, Tracy has rushed the ball 15 times for a whopping 57 yards and zero touchdowns through seven quarters of football. He's also added five receptions for 33 yards. It's not the worst, but it's also not the production the 23-year-old rookie was putting up.

Through seven weeks, the former Arizona State star put up 410 rushing yards and 207 receiving yards with seven total touchdowns. His absence has turned offensive coordinator Mike Kafka's scheme as vanilla as soft serve, and that's a problem — especially for Dart.

The chart below lays it out clearly. The x-axis shows team run-blocking grade; the y-axis tracks yards over expected per carry — in other words, how much a back creates beyond what’s blocked for him.

The gray trendline through the middle sets the baseline for “normal.” Backs above it are doing more with less. Backs below it aren’t pulling their weight.

Skattebo sits just above that line, squeezing extra yards out of average blocking. Meanwhile, Tracy Jr. sits below it, getting less from the same looks. The graphic doesn’t need spin or explanation — it just confirms what the tape already showed: Skattebo was getting the ground game going.

Fortunately for Tracy and Co., the Chicago Bears present a fun opportunity to turn the ground game loose on Sunday. Their run defense ranks in the bottom ten in yards allowed per game, giving Big Blue a fighting chance to somehow salvage this garbage season. Fans can only hope, unless we're already on to draft SZN.