John Harbaugh credits Cam Skattebo, Giants players who didn't 'sulk' after demotions

A New York Giants side that lost starting quarterback Jaxson Dart to a season-ending knee injury in Week 2 entered its Week 8 bye sitting atop the NFC East standings with a record of 4-2-1.

Multiple Giants players who were either previously punished this fall or who lost their starting jobs made major contributions in the club's 27-21 overtime win over the Houston Texans this past Sunday. While speaking with reporters on Monday, Giants head coach John Harbaugh credited those individuals for the victory in Houston. 

John Harbaugh: Giants players "didn't quit" despite hardships

"We are where we are now because we didn't quit," Harbaugh explained, per the Giants' website. "We didn't back down. We didn't sulk, as you said, so I'm just proud of the guys for that, but that's who they are. It's not anything other than their character shining through, and I just have so much admiration for those guys for that very thing."

Giants running back Cam Skattebo was "taught a lesson" when he got no touches in the team's 34-27 home loss to the New Orleans Saints on Oct. 18. Meanwhile, the events of that afternoon resulted in Harbaugh benching temporary starting quarterback Jameis Winston in favor of J.J. McCarthy for the Houston game. 

Against the Texans, Skattebo rushed for a team-high 124 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. Winston was also among the four New York players who tallied a rushing score at Houston's Reliant Stadium.

John Harbaugh eager for Giants to get "back into the race" after the bye

This past summer, Dart insisted on multiple occasions that Harbaugh had improved the Giants' culture throughout the offseason. Harbaugh seems to believe that the win in Houston could serve as a preview of what the Giants could accomplish through January. 

"It's just a matter of keep growing and keep building our execution and our ability to do things the right way at a high level," Harbaugh said. "It takes that. It's a race. It's a marathon, but a marathon is, I've been told, is a series of sprints, one after another. That's really what we're doing: a series of sprints, so we'll get a little bit of a break here, grab some Gatorade and a granola bar at the table, and then we'll be back into the race when we get back."

Ian O'Connor of The Athletic argued that the Giants should "go all-in" via moves related to the Nov. 10 NFL trade deadline. Specifically, Big Blue could use help at running back and throughout its defense. 

It remains to be seen if the Giants will pull the trigger on a headline-grabbing trade before they play at the rival Philadelphia Eagles (2-5) on Nov. 8.