This time, Cam Skattebo landed the flip.
In his first regular-season game back from the horrific open tibia fracture and right ankle dislocation that ended his rookie season, and two months after the controversial backflip he didn’t land during a Fanatics Fest appearance, Skattebo unveiled his signature celebration after recording the Giants’ first touchdown during their 28-20 win over the Cowboys in the season opener Sunday at MetLife Stadium. Skattebo finished with 81 yards on 18 carries and bailed himself out by recovering his own fumble in the fourth quarter, and in a way, his flip symbolized his emphatic return to the Giants and the top of their rushing pecking order.
“I’ve been saying for probably a month now that when I score a touchdown, I’m gonna do a backflip,” Skattebo said. “That’s what everybody wanted. That’s what they wanted to see. The people wanted that. I knew I had to do it at least once. Probably steer away from that now, and just continue to do other things and still be myself.”
Behind Skattebo, Tyrone Tracy Jr.’s brutal training camp and preseason carried over — as he fumbled on his second rush, didn’t see another snap and watched as Devin Singletary thrived. Najee Harris, who has topped 1,000 yards four times and was signed during training camp, was inactive, but Tracy’s latest gaffe could potentially change that next week.
The fumble from Skattebo marked a concern, but for the most part, he looked like his vintage self. To start the first drive of the second half, he plunged forward for a 5-yard gain. On the next play, he followed with a 7-yard one, delivering consecutive doses of what he can do best for the Giants and Matt Nagy’s run-heavy offense — with the lasting image being that snap in the first quarter when he cut left and ran untouched into the end zone.
Skattebo’s return occurred more than 10 months after that devastating injury in Philadelphia, when his promising rookie campaign came to an abrupt halt less than two months into the season. He endured a grueling path back, even considering retirement in the first month of his recovery. Then, Skattebo’s offseason took a strange turn when he made the cameo at Fanatics Fest, lifted up his right pant leg and proceeded to tumble after a failed backflip.
In the aftermath of the flip, Skattebo admitted that, occasionally, he’ll do “dumb things.” He said he probably wouldn’t do it again. “Land the thing if you’re going to do it,” head coach John Harbaugh joked afterward.
When Skattebo crossed into the end zone Sunday, he couldn’t resist. And it ended with him on his feet.
“He’s earned the right to go out there and be that dominant,” right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor said. “He’s worked his ass off. … It’s only beginning for him.”
