For anyone curious, the skycrane is used because we're landing big, heavy rovers today. Mars' surface is very dusty. If a heavy rover landed directly (like Falcon9 boosters) the rocket exhaust would dig a hole. The rover would end up in a small crater of its own making. And might become buried.
All that dust you see kicked around during the landing? That's from the skycrane exhaust jets, hanging 20 meters (65 feet) above. And the jets are angled a bit to the side, to reduce the effect.