EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo said his first carry against the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 13 is going to be “punishment to the defense.” Skattebo made the remark Thursday on FanDuel TV’s Up & Adams with host Kay Adams.
“It’s going to feel awesome. It’s going to be punishment to the defense,” Skattebo said. “I’ve been hitting my own teammates for about three months now, so I am tired of it. I’m ready to play football against someone else.”
The carry will be his first against another team since Oct. 26, when he dislocated his right ankle in a 38-20 loss at Philadelphia and had season-ending surgery. In eight games as a rookie, Skattebo ran 101 times for 410 yards and 5 touchdowns and caught 24 passes for 207 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Cam Skattebo Against The Dallas Cowboys In 2025
On Sept. 14, 2025, at AT&T Stadium, Skattebo ran 11 times for 45 yards and a touchdown in a 40-37 overtime loss to Dallas. He also caught 2 passes for 14 yards. The touchdown was the first of his career.
It came one play after Jaxson Dart took his first NFL snap early in the fourth quarter and handed to Skattebo, who ran 24 yards from the Dallas 25 to the 1-yard line. The Giants trailed 20-16 at the time.
Three weeks later, in a 34-17 win over Philadelphia on Oct. 9, Skattebo ran 19 times for 98 yards and 3 touchdowns. He was named the NFL’s Air and Ground Player of the Week for Week 6.
The teams split last season. New York won the Jan. 4 finale at MetLife Stadium, 34-17, with Skattebo on injured reserve.
The Injury And The Month He Considered Quitting
About a month into his rehab, Skattebo asked himself whether he wanted to keep playing.
“Coming out of college, going into the NFL, I think I gave myself one rule. And that was if I ever got a major injury, I was done playing,” Skattebo explained. “And that happened seven games into my career, so it kind of sucked. But I think that really helped me find who I am as a player and a person.”
The Giants cleared him for drills at their June minicamp and opened training camp with him on no restrictions. In the preseason opener, he ran 4 times for 19 yards. He did not play in the final two preseason games.
On the unofficial depth chart for the preseason finale against the Jets, New York listed Skattebo as the starting running back, according to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. Three other backs shared the second line.
Dallas Cowboys Defense Under Christian Parker
Dallas hired Christian Parker on Jan. 22 to replace Matt Eberflus after the Cowboys allowed 511 points in 2025, the most in the NFL. Parker, 34, is the youngest defensive coordinator in franchise history. He came from Philadelphia, where he spent two seasons as the passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach under Vic Fangio.
Dallas went 7-9-1 in Brian Schottenheimer’s first season as head coach, including 1-1 against the Giants.
In February, New York hired Matt Nagy as offensive coordinator. Nagy spent the previous three seasons as Kansas City’s offensive coordinator and coached the Chicago Bears from 2018 to 2021. He joined Giants coach John Harbaugh, who took the job in January after 18 seasons in Baltimore. The Giants went 4-13 in 2025.
Sept. 13 will be the 13th time the Cowboys have opened a season against the Giants, and the first since 2023. Dallas has won 11 of the previous 12.
Kickoff at MetLife Stadium is set for 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC, with the game also streaming on Peacock. It is the first Sunday Night Football game of the 2026 season. The teams meet again Jan. 3 at AT&T Stadium.
