Washington defeated the New York Giants 24-21 on Friday at MetLife Stadium, as Stefon Diggs caught a 32-yard game-winning touchdown pass from Jayden Daniels with under a minute remaining in regulation.
The NFC East rivalry loss dropped John Harbaugh’s squad to 5-3-1 on the season and cost New York a chance to establish a four-game division lead. Instead, the Washington Commanders won the Week 10 Thursday Night Football game, securing the tiebreaker and pulling within two games of the division lead.
Skattebo finishes off a 16-play, 72-yard drive with a BACKFLIP. WASvsNYG on Prime Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/Og2hdm88pw
Running back Cam Skattebo tallied 18 carries for 78 yards and two touchdowns, adding three catches for 44 yards in the defeat. Yet his night drew intense scrutiny for sideline and on-field behavior, including throwing up during the first half after eating a pretzel-wrapped hot dog before kickoff. Cam Skattebo said he had a pretzel-wrapped hot dog before the game that led to him throwing up on the sidelines in the first half.
“Yeah, I just had a pretzel-wrapped hot dog. It didn’t sit right on the stomach. Nothing crazy: got rid of it, and felt good after,” Skattebo told the media after the loss, as reported by HITC.
Late in the fourth quarter with the Giants holding a 21-17 lead, Harbaugh bypassed Skattebo on crucial short-yardage snaps. With 3:56 remaining on a third-and-1, Jameis Winston entered for a quarterback sneak and was stopped short, forcing a punt.
On that play, Skattebo remained stationary in his stance behind Winston rather than pushing him forward in tush-push fashion. Cam Skattebo stayed in his stance and didn’t participate in the play, according to NBC Sports, noting that by the time he moved, Washington had already halted Winston’s forward progress.
Giants wanted to get Cam Skattebo at least 15 to 20 touches tonight, depending on flow of the game and the conditions. Already at five touches: Three rushes for 23 yards and two catches for 37 yards.
Harbaugh dialed up another quarterback run with two minutes left, giving the ball to J.J. McCarthy on a third-and-3 at the Washington 39-yard line. McCarthy was tackled behind the line of scrimmage, prompting another Giants punt.
“It sucks, and I think part of it is I put myself in a situation last time we played these guys that kind of killed the trust in Coach [Harbaugh], maybe a little bit, of giving up the ball last time,” Skattebo explained, according to Yardbarker. He referenced a costly fumble late in New York’s 27-27 tie against Washington back in Week 5.
Cam Skattebo 1-yard touchdown run with 2:35 left in the first half. Dom Zvada PAT is good. Giants 7-3. Skattebo fights through tackle attempt by Jeremy Reeves, who wrapped his legs. Runs off seal block by Pat Ricard. Giants go 16 plays, 72 yards in 7:48 to take the lead.
“And maybe he didn’t want to give me the ball again. I don’t know. I’m not gonna say that was something that he was thinking, but I would think that as well,” Skattebo said.
Following the Thursday night defeat, the Giants enter an extended rest period before hosting the Jacksonville Jaguars on November 22. Meanwhile, 6-2 Jacksonville plays at the 1-7 Tennessee Titans this coming Sunday.
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