Cam Skattebo Benched From Running Game After Costly Fumble as Giants Fall to Saints
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo entered Sunday’s matchup with 81 carries on the season, but he left the field after a 34-27 loss to the New Orleans Saints with that exact same tally. For the first time in his NFL career, Skattebo did not record a single touch over 60 minutes of play. While he saw limited action in the first half, he was absent entirely in the second half and never had the opportunity to impact the outcome.
Following the game, Skattebo pointed directly to his recent struggles as the reason for his disappearance from the offensive game plan. He had coughed up a critical fumble the previous week against the Washington Commanders in overtime, a mistake that likely cost the Giants a victory had it not been for a late-game meltdown by Washington. While it marked his fourth fumble of the season, it was the only one that resulted in a lost possession, but it proved to be a turning point for his playing time.
“I got punished for what I did,” Skattebo told reporters in the postgame locker room. “I understand it, so I gotta be ready when coach calls my name, and that wasn’t [Sunday].”
Head coach John Harbaugh insisted that Skattebo was not officially benched and that his zero-carry stat line was not predetermined by design. Harbaugh explained that the running back room was rotating equal repetitions in the first half to find a player who could establish momentum, but nobody managed to seize the opportunity.
“All of our running backs were taking equal reps in the first half, and we were trying to see who could make something happen, who could kind of get a hot hand and earn it,” Harbaugh said. “Nobody’s really taking the bull by the horns. When he was in there, we didn’t call any runs.”
Skattebo acknowledged that he was informed ahead of time that veteran Najee Harris would get the start on Sunday, finishing the day with four carries for two yards, though he did not anticipate being completely shut out of the rushing attack. Despite his frustration over seeing his snap count plummet from roughly 50 down to just five, Skattebo shouldered the blame entirely.
“I’ve made mistakes, and I got to own up to them,” Skattebo said. “And if that is what they want to do, is keep me on the sidelines because of that, I totally understand. I can’t make mistakes at this level of this game, and when you make mistakes like that, consequences [happen]. Did I know it was going to go from 50 snaps to five snaps? No. But if that’s what it is, that’s what it is.”
The consequence for Skattebo coincided with a historically poor showing by the Giants’ ground game. New York managed just 84 rushing yards all afternoon, with 50 of those coming from quarterbacks J.J. McCarthy, who posted 26 yards, and Jameis Winston, who added four, along with a 20-yard run from wide receiver Darnell Mooney. The primary running back trio of Harris, Tyrone Tracy Jr., and Devin Singletary combined for just 14 carries for 34 yards, averaging a paltry 2.4 yards per carry in what stands as the positional group’s worst output of the season by a wide margin.
What made the ground game’s collapse particularly striking was the opposing defense. The Saints entered the contest ranking 30th in rushing yards allowed per game, 26th in yards per carry allowed, 26th in defensive rushing expected points added, and 32nd in defensive rushing success rate. Despite facing a statistically vulnerable run defense, the Giants failed to generate any traction in the first half and were forced to abandon the run entirely in the second half as they faced a deficit that eventually swelled to 34-10.
“Second half, we come out, and now we’re down by a bunch,” Harbaugh said, noting that his running backs were handed just six carries after halftime. “And after the first series, we go into kind of a no-huddle type deal. And that’s where you start using your third-down guys. And that’s just the way it went.”
The offensive struggles compound lingering questions about the direction of New York’s running game heading into the final stretch of the season. After averaging 4.3 yards per carry and a 37.7 percent rushing success rate in 2025, the 2026 offense has regressed to 3.8 yards per carry and a 32.9 percent success rate, ranking 26th in the NFL through Week 6. While the early-season loss of dual-threat quarterback Jaxson Dart derailed initial plans, the coaching staff remains searching for an identity in the backfield.
Harbaugh emphasized that the starting job remains up for grabs for whichever player is willing to seize control of the position.
“One of those guys needs to step up,” Harbaugh said. “Somebody needs to step up and be the back. And none of those guys have done that yet. And when one of those guys steps up to be the back, then they’ll be the back… That’s as honest as I can be about it. And they know that, too. And believe me, they’re all hungry. They want to step up. One of those guys wants to step up. Somebody’s going to step up and take that job. We’re going to see who it is.”
As the team prepares to travel to Houston to face the Texans, Skattebo said he does not expect an immediate return to his previous workload until instructed otherwise.
“They understand the type of player I am, and I just got to continue to do my job and do it to the best of my ability,” Skattebo said. “I got to just get back to practice, work my butt off, and hopefully it comes back around.”
