New York started the season with a typical two-man running back rotation, with Cam Skattebo playing more on early downs and Devin
Singletary more in passing situations. That changed in Week 3, when Singletary was made a healthy inactive. Najee Harris became the primary backup on early downs, while Skattebo took on passing down duties. This week, Skattebo’s playing time on third downs dipped back down, with Tracy taking the majority of those snaps. Harris and Tracy both mixed in on early downs, leading Skattebo to play a season-low 65. 2% of snaps on early downs. While Skattebo remains the clear lead back for the Giants, it’s worth noting Harris and Tracy are both averaging more yards per carry than Skattebo this season. It’s possible Harris and Tracy continue to cut into Skattebo’s playing time this season if they keep outperforming him in the run game.
This week started similarly, with Skattebo playing 11 snaps compared with Singletary’s nine over the first three drives. Singletary handled most of the third downs while mixing in for a few other snaps. Harris made his debut on the fourth drive and mixed in again on the sixth. Over the final three drives of the first half, Harris played eight of 17 snaps, compared with five for Skattebo, three for Singletary and one for Tracy. Harris also received carries in the red zone. The Giants changed their approach at halftime, with Skattebo playing all 11 offensive snaps in the third quarter. That included two third-and-long plays when Singletary would normally be on the field. Skattebo didn’t leave the field until early in the fourth quarter, when Singletary replaced him on third down. Skattebo continued to dominate snaps in the fourth quarter, despite New York’s focus on passing the ball. None of the running backs were effective in this game, so New York may continue experimenting with the rotation until it finds something that works. Both head coach John Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy have histories of using three-man backfields.
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