Items on the New York Giants' Holiday Wish List

It’s the holiday season, a time of cheer, family and of course gifts.

For the New York Giants, this 2015 has been anything but holiday-like.

With a 6-8 record which has seen four games lost in the final minutes, a roster whose depth has taken a hit due to injuries and/or more failed draft picks, and a head coach who may or may not be on his way out, the Giants are very much fighting to avoid missing the playoffs for a fourth straight year.

So in the spirit of the holidays, let's run down a list of items that just might be on the Giants' wish list for this holiday season.

2 Washington Losses

Bob Leverone/Associated Press

According to NFL Communications' current playoff scenarios, the Giants are still mathematically alive in the NFC East. However, they need to win out while also needing Washington to lose its last two games.

It’s a tall order and certainly not the ideal position to be in, as teams prefer to control their own destiny.

While the Giants can’t do anything about Washington since their regular-season series is done for this year, what they can do is come ready to play in their final two games.

Odell Beckham to Win His Appeal

Julie Jacobson/Associated Press

Usually, every household will allow the kids to open a present or two ahead of the holidays.

For the Giants, one early holiday gift they’re probably hoping to get is the lifting of receiver Odell Beckham Jr.’s one-game suspension, which was announced by the league on Monday.

According to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, Beckham will appeal his suspension on an expedited basis, though Fox Sports’ Mike Garafolo reported that Beckham’s appeal might not be heard until Wednesday, which is the first day of preparation for the next game.

With the playoffs on the line and the Giants still in the hunt, New York would probably prefer to have all hands on deck for these last two games—especially the hands of its most dangerous offensive skill player.

Better Safety Play

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

According to the Giants' roster, they have three safeties—Craig Dahl, Landon Collins and Cooper Taylor.

Well, given what happened against the Panthers, whose passing attack is pretty much tight end Greg Olsen and Ted Ginn, Jr., the play of those three was, shall we say, nonexistent.

How bad was it? Per Pro Football Focus, the three safeties allowed four of six passes to be completed for 60 yards and three touchdowns.

Of the three, Collins (147.9) and Taylor (135.4) had the highest NFL ratings. For a defender, that is not what you want to see.

While a case could be made for Taylor and Collins being relatively inexperienced, Dahl’s inability to make a play on a potential interception is just another example of a player failing to play above the X’s and O’s.

Continued Production from the Running Game

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

The Giants’ four-man running back committee has been the equivalent of the ugly sweater that people feel compelled to wear on the holidays because a beloved relative gave it to them.

In reality, the ugly sweater doesn’t work, just as the four-man running back committee—born of the fact that the Giants have four healthy running backs from whom they apparently want to get their money’s worth each week—didn’t work for weeks.

Thankfully, the Giants' coaching staff found its sense of style, returning to the days of the 2007 team which had a three-man rotation, with each man having a specific role rather than the arbitrary roles the 2015 backs have had for the first 12 games of the season.

Since streamlining the committee, the Giants' running game has accounted for 253 yards on 58 carries (4.36 YPC) and one touchdown.

The awakening of the running game has also helped the play action. Per Pro Football Focus, quarterback Eli Manning is 8-of-15 for 113 yards and two touchdowns on play action in the last two games. Before then, he was 46-of-76 for 558 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Simply put, the running game gives the Giants offense another dimension it’s been missing for quite some time.

Let’s hope that the samples the team got in the two games prior to the holidays lead to a full-sized serving good enough to last whatever is left of this 2015 campaign.

2 Giants Wins

Mark Tenally/Associated Press

Realistically, wins aren’t gifts. They have to be earned.

Still, you would probably be hard-pressed to find a single member of the organization—or a Giants fan for that matter—who wouldn’t take a lucky bounce or two in the Giants' favor during these final two games, so why not toss this onto the wish list, right?

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.