Cam Skattebo earned unnecessary roughness penalty for trucking Texans defender

Cam Skattebo is one of the most physical runners in the NFL. The New York Giants’ back was off to a great start in his rookie season before a season-ending leg injury, and then made more waves over the offseason by saying he thought CTE was an “excuse” before later apologizing and saying he was joking. Skattebo had been off to a slower start this year, but that changed during an electric performance in Week 7 to power an overtime against the Houston Texans. Skattebo finished with 124 yards on 17 carries with one touchdown. Quarterback JJ McCarthy actually made some plays in the passing game (20-of-28 for 252 yards), and the Giants’ defense did enough to get the win. New York is now 4-2-1 on the season, which equals the same number of wins they had last year when they finished 4-13. New head coach John Harbaugh is cooking, and having Skattebo back is a big reason why. Skattebo’s rumbling 16-yard touchdown run was his biggest play of the day, but it wasn’t the one people were still talking about after the game ended. In the first quarter, Skattebo drew an unnecessary roughness penalty for improper use of his helmet after lowering his body to lay a blow on Texans safety M.J. Stewart. We usually think of the helmet-to-helmet hit being a penalty on defensive players, but not this time. Watch the play here: WATCH: Cam Skattebo obliterates MJ Stewart. And gets called for unnecessary roughness. We used to call this ‘getting trucked’. pic.twitter.com/tCIZBwz4Xt — Scott M (@EODWX5) October 25, 2026 That’s a 15-yard offensive penalty. Here’s another look at the play, and Skattebo’s frustrated reaction to the penalty: The play where #Giants Cam Skattebo was penalized for lowering his helmet, an unnecessary roughness call, as he runs through #Texans M.J. Stewart. Skattebo has been fined by #NFL for this infraction this season pic.twitter.com/mdSXueamKf — Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) October 25, 2026 Many great running backs throughout NFL history have dished out punishment like this, but they can’t anymore. Yes, this isn’t the NFL you grew up watching if you’re of a certain age, but it feels like a good thing that the league is protecting players on both sides. My only issue is it feels like the refs could call this all the time if they wanted to, but instead we rarely see it on the field. Skattebo was asked about the penalty after the win, and said “I guess I’m going to play for free” because he isn’t going to tone down his running style. Cam Skattebo on penalty: "The NFL loves to post me when I do stuff like that but then also wants to take stuff from me. I'm going to run the ball like I want to run the ball. If I'm going to continue to get flags for it or fined for it, guess I'm going to play for free." #giants pic.twitter.com/JuPy5Ll8Sn — Charlotte Carroll (@charlottecrrll) October 25, 2026 What is Skattebo supposed to do if his defender goes low? The NFL is ultimately a leverage battle, and runners really don’t have any other choice than to lower their pads. This time, it got Skattebo a penalty. Are the Giants going to win the NFC East this year? It’s really impressive how quickly Harbaugh has turned around the team. If the Giants can run the ball like they did against Houston, they’re going to be a tough out.

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