Immediate Changes the New York Giants Can Make to Salvage Season

In retrospect, the New York Giants might have been better off staying home on the couch and letting their divisional foes do one another in the rest of the way.

Unfortunately, it’s not that simple, and so the Giants—needing to play one of their best games of the year—came up woefully short in a 20-14 loss to Washington on Sunday. It was a game they needed to win in order to put some more distance between them and the rest of the NFC East.

According to the New York Times' playoff simulator, the loss to Washington drops the Giants' playoff chances from 85 percent to 46 percent.  

If this team is going to make a move and snap a playoff-less streak that began in 2012, here are three personnel moves it needs to consider making to give itself a better chance of finishing this season the right way.

Reduce WR Rueben Randle's Workload

Receiver Rueben Randle’s tenure with the Giants has been as frustrating as that cute boy or girl you have a crush on who gets your hopes up only to leave you disappointed.

Coming into this week’s game, Randle caught 39 of the 55 passes (70.9 percent) thrown his way for 475 yards—not great numbers at all.

Brian Blanco/Associated Press

This week, Randle caught one of six targets for 36 yards. The one catch was a 40-yard touchdown, but he was also a target on one of quarterback Eli Manning’s season-high three interceptions, this one coming in the end zone when Randle appeared to slow down on his route.

It really spoke volumes that 18 of Manning’s pass targets this week went to Odell Beckham Jr., who seems to be the only receiver the quarterback can fully trust out there.

It’s also quite disturbing how Randle has averaged just 2.6 yards after the catch coming into this game, which is not good at all.

Don’t be surprised if the Giants start getting receiver Hakeem Nicks, who’s only been back with the team for a couple of weeks but has bigger hands and runs better routes, more involved in the passing game ahead of Randle.

Cut Back on the Running Back Committee

For all the studying the coaching staff does with advanced metrics, it’s mind-boggling that it has not yet realized over Andre Williams' two pro seasons that he is at his best when he gets at least 15 carries in a game.

Last year, Williams posted two 100-yard rushing games, both coming when he carried the ball at least 20 times. When he carries the ball fewer than 10 times, he is rarely effective.

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The reason why all four running backs get game-day uniforms has to do with special teams. All four running backs contribute in some way, shape or form to special teams, with Orleans Darkwa being the only one of the batch to play on all four teams—which is why he probably doesn’t get as many carries as he probably should.

So why not lessen some of Darkwa’s special teams load by giving some of that to Williams and pare down the committee?

In a game where every play counts, the Giants just cannot keep spreading the ball out among four running backs—the approach and lack of a running game are big reasons why they can’t run play action and defenses can hone in on certain passing routes the Giants like to run.

Play Trumaine McBride Ahead of Jayron Hosley and Trevin Wade

In case you missed, it, here is the situation with the Giants cornerbacks.

Prince Amukamara returned to action, which is the good news. However, the bad news is that their best cornerback, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, can rarely make it through every snap every week for one reason or another.

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

That’s not good news because when Rodgers-Cromartie, who usually has the opponent’s top receiver, comes off, his replacement—which of late has been Jayron Hosley—gets attacked.

That’s what happened this week when Rodgers-Cromartie had to be helped off the field with a leg injury (he later returned). Kirk Cousins immediately went after Hosley, and the result was a 63-yard touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson.

So here is the big question: Why is Hosley, who has seen his play continue to be inconsistent following a decent summer, playing ahead of Trumaine McBride?

The stats don’t lie. Coming into this game, McBride’s NFL rating was 94.9 while Hosley’s was 113.9.

McBride also has one more touchdown than Hosley and has given up fewer touchdowns. Yet for some odd reason, McBride seems to have fallen behind Hosley and Trevin Wade, the latter of whom has a team-worst 125.6 NFL rating.

What this tells us is that there is a drop-off behind Rodgers-Cromartie and Amukamara, and that’s not good news for a team that has a rookie safety who’s still trying to find his way and two older safeties whose best days might very well be in the rear-view mirror.

Advanced statistics from Pro Football Focus.

Patricia Traina covers the Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. All quotes and information were obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced.

Follow me on Twitter @Patricia_Traina.