NEW ORLEANS — The Giants were down by five but on the move, looking as if they would retake the lead, nearing the red zone and, potentially, the end zone.
In an instant, they were no longer on the move.
They were in the dumpster, as their aggressive, never-say-die rookie running back lost the ball and disaster ensued.
“They preach to take care of the ball and that’s what I got to do,’’ Cam Skattebo said in the losing visitors locker room Sunday inside Caesars Superdome. “That’s my job.’’
There were no touchdown-punctuating backflips from Skattebo this time, as his turnover was as costly as can be in a 26-14 loss to the Saints.
It was second-and-7 from the New Orleans 12-yard line when Skattebo got the call on the first play of the fourth quarter.
There was no room for him up the middle and as he tried to lunge ahead to get anything he could, defensive lineman Bryan Bresee from behind punched at the ball and got it, forcing a fumble.
That was bad for the Giants.
What followed was even worse.
Safety Jordan Howden scooped up the loose ball on the 14-yard line and was off to the races.
He ran, untouched, for an 86-yard touchdown return to put the Saints up by 12 points.
That was all they needed, as the Giants beat themselves with five turnovers.
“I fumbled,’’ Skattebo said. “He got a good punch on it and I handed them a touchdown. I just got to be better holding onto the ball. He got it out perfectly. He punched the ball from the back side and I didn’t hold on tight enough.’’
Skattebo, a fourth-round pick from Arizona, has quickly become a fan favorite, as his aggressive, low-to-the-ground running style makes him difficult to bring down with one tackler.
On 15 rushing attempts, he managed 59 yards against the Saints.
He was able to gain positive yardage often enough, but his longest run went for only 9 yards.
After the shock of the fumble and the return, Skattebo sat on the bench and teammates came over to try to console him.
Skattebo made a brushing motion that indicated he did not need to hear what they had to say.
“I like to brush it off, I’m next play guy,’’ Skattebo said. “I know my teammates got my back and I understand they want to come over and tell me they got my back. I’m a guy, move on, next play, next drive, look at what happened, look what’s wrong, onto the next play.’’
With Tyrone Tracy Jr. out with a shoulder injury — there’s a chance he can return for Thursday night’s game against the Eagles — Skattebo has emerged as a workhorse for the Giants.
He has a team-leading 63 rushing attempts. He now has one fumble in his NFL career.
“We lost a game, it’s as simple as that,’’ he said. “We turned the ball over and we didn’t play the best football we should be playing. It’s not on the coaches. We got to take care of the ball better.’’
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
