Against the Los Angeles Rams, New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo was limited to 36 rushing yards on 12 carries. But more than the stats, what stayed with him was the brief sideline moment that earned him another fumble. He believes the league shouldn’t have put it on his record.
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“I think they got me down for three fumbles, which is BS,” Skattebo told the press after practice on October 1, via SNYGiants. “Because the one in the second game I caught the ball on the sidelines and kind of just let it go because I was out of bounds, and they called that a fumble as well. So let’s figure out who did that and find them.”
This fumble was noted against Skattebo in the fourth quarter. Winston threw him a short pass, and he took off to the right, but was brought down by the Rams’ Quentin Lake. The ball then rolled out on the ground, and Skattebo was visibly frustrated. No gain was made on that play.
Veteran referee Brad Allen and his crew were in charge of the game. Not to forget, Allen and crew threw the most penalty flags last season (162), and 40 were dismissed.
However, even with Skattebo not agreeing with that fumble, it doesn’t change the fact that he has fumbled once in the other two games. According to GMEN HQ’s Jake Elman, the running back is averaging a fumble every 19 touches. Skattebo recorded only one fumble last season before he was injured, but this issue had been highlighted before he was drafted.
Athlon Sports’ Luke Easterling and NFL Media’s Lance Zierlein had already raised an alarm about the fourth-round 2025 pick in pre-draft scouting reports.
“A heavy workload and fumbling issues could be concerns at the next level when it comes to durability and ball security,” wrote Easterling.
Skattebo has rushed for 177 yards so far, averaging only 3.5 yards per carry. It shows that he’s been limited through the last three games.
This season, the expectations were high for the running back after he came back from an injury.
“I’m not back to being me. I’m back to being a better me,” he responded in an interview with Andrew Siciliano in the beginning of this month. “I think you’re going to see a little bit different me this year. Obviously, you’re going to see crazy, physical, hard-nosed tough football. But I think you’re going to see a little more. You only got to see really only five full games of me playing football. You’re going to see a little more from me, and I think I’m going to take that next step into being able to play football in this league and show people that I’m built for this.”
Even though he claimed that the fumble against the Rams was not his fault, the chances of getting replaced still remain.
There has been no indication from head coach John Harbaugh that Skattebo’s role is about to shrink, but his recent fumbling issues make his starting spot harder to defend. More so when Najee Harris finally got into the rotation last weekend, running for 52 yards on nine carries without putting the ball on the ground.