John Harbaugh has made one thing abundantly clear for his running backs since becoming the head coach of the New York Giants: If you put the ball on the ground, you forfeit your place in the pecking order. Tyrone Tracy Jr. found out just how seriously his coach takes ball security after a mistake-laden preseason. Now, it's Cam Skattebo's turn to learn the same lesson.
After fumbling for the fourth time this season in Week 5 (in a key moment, no less), Skattebo took his punishment in the form of a significantly reduced snap share in the rollercoaster Week 6 loss to the New Orleans Saints.
The second-year running back lost his spot in the starting lineup. In fact, it seemed like he plummeted to the bottom of the depth chart. While Najee Harris was technically the starter, the rotation between Harris, Skattebo, Tracy Jr., and Devin Singletary suggests that Harbaugh and his staff don't have a running back they trust at the moment.
Even after his mistakes, the Giants have no choice but to trust Skattebo. The complete lack of a rushing attack in Week 6 made it clear that Big Blue can't afford to put its top running back in timeout.
Giants proved they can't afford to bench Cam Skattebo
Until the final offensive drive of the game, Darnell Mooney was the Giants' leading rusher. He had one carry for 20 yards. He was only surpassed by J.J. McCarthy, who took off for a 28-yard scramble.
New York's running backs logged a combined 14 carries for 34 yards. After getting at least 12 carries in the first five games of the season, Skattebo didn't touch the ball once.
Before this game, the Saints had been one of the NFL's worst run-stopping teams. They had allowed the second-highest EPA per rush attempt in the league. Their run defense looked impenetrable against the Giants' backup running backs.
Of course, the running game all but disappeared while the Giants attempted their improbable comeback in the fourth quarter. They instead leaned on McCarthy's heaves downfield, which led to some late-game excitement.
But the zero-run approach won't work outside of garbage time. The G-Men will need to find some sort of consistency on the ground in the coming weeks if they want to give whoever is under center a chance to succeed.
That consistency will only come by putting Skattebo back on the first line of the running back depth chart. Tracy Jr. can provide a change of pace, Singletary can take on the pass-catching work, and Harris can take a few carries each game. Skattebo has to be the lead back.
Harbaugh can be hard on his players all he wants, but benching his starters without quality replacements is only going to lead to more losses.
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