Cam Skattebo’s Shocking Injury: Is New York’s NFL Hopes Doomed This Season?

NFL Week 8 really threw us a curveball, didn’t it? Just when New York Giants fans were brimming with hope—thanks to rookie Jaxson Dart stepping up under center and bulldozer Cam Skattebo carving defenses like a surgeon—everything came crashing down. Remember that gritty win over the unbeaten Chargers? Yeah, it felt like the dawn of something special until Malik Nabers’ devastating knee injury dimmed the glow. Then, as if fate had a cruel sense of humor, Skattebo’s gruesome ankle dislocation against the Eagles snuffed out New York’s flickering flame of excitement. Let’s not forget—this fourth-round pick wasn’t just any player; he was a beast breaking tackles and turning the field into his playground. So now, with Tyrone Tracy Jr. back in the mix, the Giants are left pondering: can this young crew truly ignite the future, or will injuries keep dimming the spotlight? Football’s a fickle beast, isn’t it? LEARN MORE

NFL Week 8 has been a wild one. From Cam Skattebo’s injury to James Cook’s historic performance, we’re reacting to all the action.

For a seemingly brief moment in time, there was so much excitement in New York.

Giants rookie Jaxson Dart had taken over under center, bulldozing workhorse Cam Skattebo was an instant fan favorite and wideout Malik Nabers was already a star in his second season.

In his first start after taking over for Russell Wilson, Dart and Skattebo helped lead the Giants to a 21-18 win over the then-undefeated Los Angeles Chargers. It was a costly win, however, as the team lost Nabers for the season due to a torn ACL and meniscus in his right knee.

But Skattebo totaled 308 yards and four touchdowns over the next three games, and the Giants were on the verge of winning three of four with their young up-and-coming playmakers leading the way before blowing a 19-point lead while allowing 33 fourth-quarter points in a one-point loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 7.

The series of unfortunate events continued on Sunday when Skattebo, who had already caught a TD pass from Dart, suffered a gruesome dislocation of his right ankle midway through the second quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles. What had been a close game at the time turned into a 38-20 loss to the NFC East rivals, who New York had upset 34-17 in Week 6.

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How good had the fourth-round pick been?

Heading into Week 8, Skattebo ranked 11th in the NFL among those with at least 50 carries with 2.05 yards gained after contact and 10th in Opta’s big play number, which is a weighted formula that shows how many 20-yard or more burns or burn TDs a pass catcher generates.

As you might expect, he was also easily No. 1 with 16 forced broken tackles and 10th with .240 missed or broken tackles per touch.

The Giants will likely have to turn back to Tyrone Tracy Jr. in the backfield moving forward. Tracy had 839 yards on 4.4 per carry in his 17 games (12 starts) last season, but he’s totaled 53 yards on 17 carries (3.1 per carry) in his two starts in 2025.

The future remains bright in New York as the Giants build around their young trio, but it looks as though fans will have to wait quite a while to see them all in action together again.

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The post NFL Week 8 Reaction: Cam Skattebo’s Injury Extinguishes the Excitement in New York appeared first on Opta Analyst.