On Thursday Night Football, the New York Giants fell to 5-3-1 with a 24-21 loss against the division rival Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium.
The game marked the return of running back Cam Skattebo, who was inactive during the team’s last game against the Philadelphia Eagles as he suffered a hamstring injury during overtime.
Skattebo had another strong performance as he finished with a season-high 122 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns. However, the Giants running back was also criticized for his role on a crucial third-and-1, which New York failed to pick up via a Jameis Winston quarterback sneak.
New York Giants Head Coach John Harbaugh Defends Cam Skattebo’s Role on Controversial Play
After Thursday’s loss, Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith wrote of the controversial loss: “Giants running back Cam Skattebo stayed in his stance and didn’t participate in the play on a key short-yardage snap late in the Giants’ loss on Thursday night.
With the Giants leading 21-17 and 3:56 remaining in the fourth quarter on Thursday night, they faced a third-and-1 and sent Jameis Winston in for a quarterback sneak. A first down would have given the Giants a great chance at a long, clock-draining drive. Instead they were stopped, punted, and ended up losing.
As Winston plowed into the line, Skattebo was behind him and could have run in to try to push him forward to gain a yard. Instead, Skattebo stayed in his stance, and by the time he actually got involved in the play, the Commanders had stopped Winston’s forward progress.”
One day after the game, Harbaugh defended the team’s running back. Harbaugh explained that Skattebo wasn’t expected to come to the line of scrimmage and push Winston, saying, “That was a different kind of play. That was a normal quarterback sneak.”
Giants on SI’s Patricia Traina posted on X: “He (Harbaugh) also mentioned that they have different types of sneaks in the playbook. So no, Skattebo was not asleep at the switch on that one play.”
Reaction to Failed Quarterback Sneak
After Harbaugh’s explanation, Michael David Smith wrote: “Why the Giants wouldn’t want Skattebo to push Winston in an attempt to get the first down yardage is unclear, but the play looked strange, and it was a big one for the Giants, who had a 21-17 lead late in the fourth quarter at the time, but couldn’t hold the lead after getting stuffed on that quarterback sneak and lost 24-21.”
Following the failed sneak, New York tried to get the Commanders to jump offside, with quarterback Jameis Winston yelling, “Who let the dogs out?” Harbaugh said of that fourth down, “I’m kinda kicking myself. Maybe we should have just gone for that one too. … We’re not afraid.”
Instead, the New York Giants punted, and the Washington Commanders scored on the ensuing drive. Washington’s score gave the Commanders a 3-point lead with less than a minute remaining.
Giants HC John Harbaugh Defends Cam Skattebo After Controversy