All the help they need is irrelevant if the Giants do not help themselves.
They need to win their remaining two games, starting this afternoon against the Panthers, and hope the Cowboys or Packers lose one of their last two games to have a realistic chance at the playoffs. Given how they’ve gotten to 8-6 and put themselves in such a precarious position, the Giants will deserve what they get if they can’t get it done today.
“Me, personally, that’s the kind of games you want to play in,” Justin Tuck said. “You want to play in games that have a lot of meaning in December and January and February for that matter. I’m excited about it, looking forward to it. Everything is do-or-die for us. This time of season one game can make or break you.”
A look inside the game:
BEST BATTLE
Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith vs. Giants cornerback Terrell Thomas. The Giants will try to get Thomas on the small and shifty Smith as much as possible. Thomas in his first year as a starter leads the team with five interceptions and has been one of the most consistent players on the roster.
“He is a young player who, like any other young player, has to learn the game a little bit more,” Smith said. “But he is very capable of making plays and he has made a few plays. He can become a problem with his wingspan. He is a long, lengthy guy who looks pretty sharp.”
THE MANNING
Eli Manning is fulfilling the marching orders of general manager Jerry Reese, who said prior to the season the Giants needed their 28-year old quarterback to play like the Pro Bowler he is and lead like the veteran he is. Manning already has a career-high 26 touchdown passes and is carrying the team with his passing and directing of the offense.
“It’s not one person,” Manning said. “When one guy plays well, it’s because everybody else is doing their job. Receivers are getting open, offensive line is blocking, we’re running the ball better. Defense is getting us the ball. I think it is just a combination of everybody.”
JAKING IT
Loyalty can run too deep and it may have this season with John Fox when it came to sticking with Jake Delhomme. The failings of the 11-year veteran are the main reason the Panthers are 6-8 and not in playoff contention. Delhomme had a rotten season, throwing 18 interceptions and only eight touchdown passes and completing a sub-par 55.5 percent of his throws. A finger injury finally forced Delhomme to the bench and third-year man Matt Moore — not drafted out of Oregon State — has taken over. This will be Moore’s seventh NFL start, and he was excellent in last week’s 26-7 upset victory over the Vikings.
OUT WITH THE OLD
With the highs and lows of this season and the on-again, off-again playoff push, the final Giants game at Giants Stadium sort of snuck up on everyone. This is it.
“The building is old now, it’s a little bit tired, and we’re anxious to get into the new building,” said Ronnie Barnes, the longtime trainer and vice president of medical services, who worked summers with the Giants in 1976 when the stadium opened and has been with the team fulltime since 1980. “But whenever we make it to the playoffs and we’d fill that building, I mean, the crowd goes crazy. We’re gonna miss that feeling in the atmosphere. But we’re also very anxious to move to the new facility.”
But not so anxious that they’re ready to pack up and leave. “Definitely emotional,” Brandon Jacobs said. “This is going to be my fifth year and to have the thought that we won’t have a chance to play at the stadium again [after today] is going to be very emotional. The new place is very nice, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not this place.”
BALL PATROL
If the Giants aren’t careful, the Panthers will snatch the ball right out of their hands. Carolina has 23 takeaways in the last eight games. Part of the reason the Giants were so successful in Washington is that they didn’t turn the ball over in amassing a season-high 45 points.
paul.schwartz@nypost.com
PAUL’S PREDICTION
The Giants won’t be able to live with themselves if they don’t close out their stadium in style and keep alive their playoff hopes. The Panthers are rugged and won’t quit, but they’re not playing for anything and their quarterback is far from proven. The pressure is immense and it won’t be easy, but the Giants find a way.
GIANTS 26, PANTHERS 23