Good for Cam Skattebo for leading the Giants in both rushing and receiving yards on Sunday night.
But that can’t be what the Giants had in mind when they entered the game, a 22-9 loss to Kansas City, in which the deep ball was virtually ignored in favor of mostly Skattebo and more Skattebo.
Maybe the Giants thought they had a new version of Thunder and Lightning.
After getting the opening kickoff, the Giants went to Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Skattebo for their first 10 plays of the game.
The strategy got the Giants down to Kansas City’s 28-yard line, but stalled there.
And even after they fell behind later in the quarter, when the Giants got the ball back, four of the next five plays involved the pair of running backs.
It all changed, though, when Tracy was knocked out of the game after taking a ferocious hit near the Kansas City sideline on a short pass play. Tracy stayed down for several minutes and left the game with a shoulder injury.
The Giants then turned to Skattebo, who provided their lone spark when he barreled his way into the end zone on a 13-yard run that tied the game at 6-6 with 1:44 to go in the second quarter.
He celebrated the play with a backflip in the end zone.
On the first scoring drive, Skattebo also scampered on a 16-yard pass from Russell Wilson.
He also had several key plays on the other Giants scoring drive, including a 21-yard play to open the drive.
But without the dynamic Tracy, who was replaced by Devin Singletary, the Giants running game took a hit it couldn’t afford.
And while Skattebo was impressive — he topped the Giants with 10 carries for 60 yards and the touchdown, as well as with six catches for 60 yards — that’s hardly a recipe for success for a team that would like to feature a deep passing game.
“The run game was a step in the right direction,” Giants coach Brian Daboll said. “Cam’s a tough competitor. He’s been running hard and has done a good job in the passing game, too.”
Earlier in the week, Daboll said the usage of the three main backs “could be a week-to-week deal,” adding that how the three are playing in a game would impact how much they would play that week.
Skattebo said this week he believed he’d prove he deserved to carry the ball often.
“I like to look at every game I’m going to be hot,” the first-year player said. “I like to run the ball and hopefully by the time my career is over, I’m the guy that’s probably touching the ball about 25 to 30 times a game. That’s the goal. That’s the plan. But whatever it is for this year, the rookie year, I’m going to just ride with that and continue to make sure that I give whatever I can for the team’s success.”
With his athleticism and ability — not to mention willingness — to play through contact, Skattebo has already begun to earn a reputation, but so far it hasn’t resulted in any victories.
