PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA — OCTOBER 26: New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo #44 is carted off the field after suffering an injury during a Week 8 game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field (Photo credits: Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Sunday’s contest against the Philadelphia Eagles was nothing short of brutal for fans of the Big Blue.

After losing superstar wide receiver Malik Nabers to a torn ACL earlier in the year, things seemingly couldn’t get worse for the New York Giants.

That notion was far from the truth.

Giants rookie sensation, running back Cam Skattebo, suffered a season-ending dislocated ankle in the second quarter of the team’s 38-20 loss to the Eagles. Skattebo has since undergone surgery at a local Philadelphia hospital, the team announced.

“Thank you everyone for the support,” Skattebo said in a statement via X. “Surgery went well. I just want to thank the city of Philly for taking the best care of me.”

“This is just the beginning of my journey and I can’t wait to show you guys all about it,” Skattebo added.

The latest in a growing list of brutal losses for the Giants, Skattebo’s injury has left fans wondering what direction the team will go in.

With the season reaching its halfway point and New York sitting among the bottom teams in the NFC with a 2-6 record, a season that once looked promising has turned bitter in a matter of weeks.

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA — OCTOBER 26: New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart #6 and New York Giants safety Tyler Nubin #27 react to the injury of New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo #44 during a Week 8 game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field (Photo credits: Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

New York’s last win, a Week 6 victory over the Eagles on Thursday Night Football, paired with the pregame chatter on social media between Giants and Broncos ahead of their Week 7 contest seemed like a spark that Big Blue fans have seldom witnessed in recent seasons.

Losing Nabers to a season-ending injury during New York’s Week 4 clash with the Los Angeles Chargers was a brutal blow for the team, but the emergence of young stars like Skattebo, quarterback Jaxson Dart, and cornerback Cor’Dale Flott seemed like enough to overcome the loss.

Now, Skattebo, one of New York’s few lifelines on offense, will be sidelined for the remainder of the season.

The impact of 23-year-old running back — known for his sheer strength — cannot be understated.

Before suffering a season-ending injury, the 4th-round rookie out of Arizona State totaled 410 rushing yards on the season, ranking 21st among all running backs. Skattebo was on-pace to finish his rookie campaign 871 rushing yards before it was cut short.

Skattebo’s 80.5 offensive grade, per Pro Football Focus, ties him with Seattle Seahawks’ Kenneth Walker III for 3rd-best in the league among running backs with at least 50 attempts.

The former Sun Devil also generated the 4th-most receiving yards by running backs thus far in the season (207), averaging 8.6 yards per reception.

Skattebo’s strength was also put on display this season as shown by his 307 rushing yards after contact, which ranks 17th in the league.

“Obviously, he’ll be missed but on the road to recovery. … He’s got a road ahead of him,” Giants Head Coach Brian Daboll said in a press conference after the team’s loss on Sunday.

Daboll now faces the challenge of reshaping an offense missing its two most impactful playmakers.

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA — OCTOBER 26: The New York Giants offense huddles before a play during a Week 8 game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field (Photo credits: Evan Pinkus/New York Giants)

Going forward in the season, the Giants’ lead back will be Tyrone Tracy Jr., a second-year ball carrier and former 5th-round selection out of Purdue.

Tracy was originally a perfect compliment to Skattebo’s downhill running style and in-game strength with his receiving upside, but leading the charge in a backfield is not foreign to the former Boilermaker.

In 12 starts for New York last season, Tracy rushed for a team-leading 839 yards, a total that ranked 25th among all running backs.

Tracy’s production has expectedly seen a sharp decline this year with the arrival of Skattebo. The 25-year-old runner has posted just 159 rushing yards in six games thus far, putting him on pace for 397 yards by season’s end, a very noticeable decrease from his numbers in 2024.

The loss of the fan favorite running back now grants Tracy an opportunity to regain the starting job he once possessed and perform similarly to his rookie year performances.

Behind Tracy on the depth chart is veteran running back Devin Singletary, who has unsurprisingly received very little usage this season with New York’s rushing tandem.

Singletary, 28, was signed by the Giants last offseason, posting 437 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns through his first season in the Big Apple. Singletary is playing in his seventh season in the league, his second in Daboll’s offense, automatically making him vital to inheriting Skattebo’s lost carries.

The league got to see the duo of Tracy and Singletary in full effect last season. Combined, the tandem tallied 1,276 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns. The numbers didn’t jump off the charts, but they displayed a solid rushing attack for a New York offense that had very little to speak about during the 2024 NFL season.

Moving forward without Skattebo for the remainder of the season, maintaining a strong backfield will pose challenges, as both Tracy and Singletary average under four yards per carry this year.

Similar to the road ahead for the 4th-round rookie’s recovery, Daboll and the Giants’ will have a tough road ahead in establishing consistency and efficiency in their backfield.

DENVER, COLORADO — OCTOBER 19: New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart #6 hands the ball off to New York Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. #29 during a Week 7 game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field (Photo credits: Evan Pinkus/New York Giants)

As lackluster as the Giants have performed through eight weeks of the new season, they hold the sixth overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, making them the only six-loss team without a top five draft selection.

That could all change in the remaining 10 weeks of football, but it is worth noting that New York’s current draft position is not ideal for a team that has played as poorly as they have.

The team is trending in the right direction, however. They are getting younger.

With Dart now at the helm as the Giants’ quarterback, the organization will look to build around the 1st-round rookie.

In five starts in the Big Apple, Dart has amounted 984 passing yards, 8 passing touchdowns, and a 90.8 passer rating.

The team made the decision to hand the reigns over to Dart after a sluggish start to the season by the Russell Wilson-led offense. Wilson totaled 778 passing yards while throwing three touchdowns to three interceptions, a decline from the play fans are used to seeing from the future Hall of Fame inductee.

Nonetheless, a change needed to be made. The offense needed a spark after dropping its first three games.

With Dart in command, the offense looked like it found that spark. The fans unusually had things to be excited about.

“The energy is there,” Giants tight end Daniel Bellinger said after the team’s big win over the Eagles on Thursday Night Football.

Performances on the field and postgame comments from New York’s players were indicative of a serious shift in the locker room vibe since Dart was given the starting job. Skattebo contributed greatly to the zap with his explosive games and joyous personality.

Now, the Giants will need to find a way to continue that high-octane energy without the company of their 4th-round rookie running back.

From this point, the team will need to rely on its veterans Singletary and wide receiver Darius Slayton as well as its young core of Dart, Tracy, and wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson if they want to be successful.

New York returns home to East Rutherford to host the San Francisco 49ers in what feels like a must-win matchup for the team.

Dart and the Giants will get a chance to overcome the brutal injuries the team has suffered to begin the season and prove to teams around the league why all it takes is a little youth to spark a playoff run.

Ultimately, Giants fans are reasonably upset about losing the team’s best running back since Saquon Barkley for the year, but the team’s young foundation and future direction are enough to establish some semblance of hope within the fan base.

The rebuild is just getting started.