Giants Have Clear Silver Lining Following Brutal Loss to Commanders

The New York Giants fell to the Washington Commanders by a score of 24-21 on Thursday night, costing themselves a chance to essentially put a bow on the NFC East in Week 10.

Considering that four of the Giants' five wins have been nail-biters, this home loss shouldn't have surprised anyone. Especially considering New York was hammered by the New Orleans Saints at MetLife Stadium just a few weeks ago.

The Giants aren't quite there yet, and their defeat at the hands of a subpar Commanders team proved it.

That being said, there was one clear positive we can take away from Thursday evening: running back Cam Skattebo.

Make it two straight terrific games for Skattebo, who dominated with 124 yards and a touchdown against the Houston Texans in Week 7, injured his hamstring, had the bye week, missed Week 9 against the Philadelphia Eagles and then returned to rush for 78 yards and a couple of scores versus Washington. He also caught three passes for 44 yards.

The latter performance followed an NFL trade deadline in which the Giants were feverishly trying to trade for a running back.

Skattebo had a very rough start to the season, fumbling four times in the first five games and averaging well under four yards per carry. He has flipped the script in his last two, and it could be a sign of things to come moving forward.

Should we be ready to anoint Skattebo as the clear-cut featured back moving forward? No, but this was still obviously a very encouraging development. Especially with Tyrone Tracy on injured reserve.

Last year, Skattebo displayed impressive flashes over eight games before a gruesome ankle injury ended his campaign. Through eight contests this season, his numbers are very similar, and it should be noted that while he did briefly see the field against the Saints in Week 6, he was essentially benched for that one.

Skattebo has totaled 496 yards and four touchdowns on 4.3 yards per tote thus far in 2026. Let's figure that over seven games. That puts him on pace for over 1,200 yards in a 17-game campaign.

It would be nice to see the 24-year-old used more as a pass-catcher out of the backfield, as he has logged just 14 receptions for 120 yards this season. But we know he is fully capable of being a receiving weapon.

As frustrating as the loss to the Commanders was, the continued improvement of Skattebo should not be lost in the midst.