Why Cam Skattebo Stayed Put on Giants’ Key Third-and-1 Against Commanders

Skattebo stayed in his stance for nearly two seconds on a third-and-1 sneak, but Harbaugh says he did what the call required.

Nov 12, 2026; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo (44) runs for a touchdown during the second half against the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

To the casual observer, New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo looked like he had fallen asleep at the snap, staying in his stance for nearly two seconds on a third-and-1 rushing play by quarterback Jameis Winston that did not pick up the first down.

But the play, which many assumed was a tush push given how often the Giants have run it this year, wasn’t what it looked like, and Skattebo did what he was supposed to do.

“That wasn’t a tush push. That was a different kind of play,” head coach John Harbaugh explained.

“It was a normal quarterback sneak and a certain check involved in it that is part of the play, but it wasn’t a tush push. So (Skattebo) wasn’t supposed to be up there pushing.”

Weirdest play of a weird night.

If you’re going to run the Tush Push, you have to … you know … push. 🤷🏻‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/Sf65ZJ1vrF

— Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano) November 13, 2026

The play occurred with the Giants leading 21-17. After a third-down try that initially appeared to give Winston the first down before officials reversed the call, the Giants tried to draw the Commanders offside on fourth-and-1. Still, it didn’t work, and a delay of game penalty led to a punt.

Given the Giants' success with the tush push, it was surprising they didn’t bring extra bodies to help Winston get the first down.

The Giants have converted first downs on 43.5% of their quarterback rushing attempts, which is the fifth-best mark in the NFL.

While that stat doesn’t differentiate between tush pushes, sneaks, designed runs, and scrambles, it shows the Giants have succeeded when deploying their quarterbacks to do so.

Only Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy know the logic behind running a sneak over a tush push. Still, it raised eyebrows, given Skattebo’s late arrival to the play and the fact that fullback Patrick Ricard was also not involved in Winston’s attempt to move the chains.

“We have four or five of those different types of calls and motions and pushes, not pushes, check-with-me plays. There are different things we have. One of those was called,” Harbaugh explained.

“We have different calls that go with quarterback sneaks, so we didn’t call the same one that we’ve been calling. That’s really the only answer I have for you. We didn’t call the same play. He wasn’t supposed to be up there pushing.”

But with that call not resulting in a first-down conversion, questions will linger over whether it was the right call to make at that juncture.

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