PHILADELPHIA — The Giants won’t be getting any more points or energy out of rookie Cam Skattebo — their leader in both categories.
Don’t try using the faulty NFL logic that all running backs are interchangeable with the Giants, who watched Skattebo suffered a gruesome season-ending dislocated ankle in Sunday’s 38-20 loss to the Eagles.
“He’s irreplaceable,” right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor said. “You can have guys that run the ball really hard, but his energy and what he brings to the table and the way he runs the ball, it’s going to be hard to replace. I just pray that he gets healthy and comes back even better next year.”
Skattebo was dragged down by Zack Baun on an incompletion and his right foot turned in the wrong direction after his cleat appeared to get caught in the grass.
Horrified teammates, including a cursing Jaxson Dart, immediately dropped to a knee and turned away from the scene as an air cast was applied before he was loaded onto the cart.
“Never seen that before,” Eluemunor said. “I didn’t know what was wrong with him at first and then I looked and saw it, and hopefully I never have to see that again.”
Skattebo was taken to a Philadelphia-area hospital during the game and was scheduled to undergo surgery Sunday night rather than return home with the team.
“I was devastated,” Dart said. “That’s my boy. Seeing him go down and reacting to what happened, it sucks. It’s the worst part of this game.”
The notoriously hostile Eagles home crowd cheered Skattebo as he left the field — a sign of respect for the battering ram who scored four touchdowns in 5 ½ quarters during the two meetings between the teams.
“From everything I’ve heard, the type of person he is and how he comes to work through adversity and the mindset he has that got him to this point is going to help him get through it,” said Eagles running back Saquon Barkely, who tore his ACL playing for the Giants in 2020. “He’s a heck of a back. You could see just how the stadium felt because of the energy he brought. I know those [trainers] over there really well, and they helped me get back from my knee injury, so he’s in great hands.”
As teammates came to the cart to console him, Skattebo was his usual fired-up self.
“After he got hurt, he’s the one yelling from the cart, ‘Let’s f–king go! Let’s do it! Let’s do it!” said Tyrone Tracy Jr., who will reclaim his starting role from last season. “For us, we’re trying to do the best we can for Skatt because his energy is infectious.”
Skattebo caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Dart to tie the score at 7-7. He has scored seven of the Giants’ 21 touchdowns from scrimmage this season.
“The good news is I do expect for next season,” Dr. David Chao, the former Chargers team physician, said on SICscore.com after watching the video. “As long as there is no infection — and there shouldn’t be like [former quarterback] Alex Smith got — it’s surgery and smooth recovery like [Lions defensive end] Aidan Hutchinson has had.”
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