Everybody and their uncle knows the Giants are in a slump.  The once 5-0 Giants have taken a turn for the worse and the once Super Bowl contenders are now fighting to make the playoffs, standing at 5-4 with a myriad of problems.

Fortunately, they are on the bye this week and it couldn’t come at a better time.  They have a huge game versus Atlanta, a team who they are battling with to make the payoffs, in Week 11 in what is a must win game.  As of now the Eagles and Falcons hold the wild card positions and a loss next week would be crushing, giving the Falcons the tiebreaker over the Giants.

With that said here’s what the Giants need to fix to get back on track:

1. Get Healthy

This one should take of itself.  Last week the Giants finally got their two prized free agent acquisitions, Michael Boley and Chris Canty, back onto the field.  This was Boley’s first action since week four and he made a nice impact recording seven tackles and a pass defended.  Meanwhile, Canty returned for this first time since the opener.  He didn’t make the stat sheet, but that change in the coming weeks.  Canty will be a nice upgrade over Fred Robbins, who has struggled this season.

Perhaps the biggest return is that of corner back Aaron Ross.  Ross has not played this season after injuring is hamstring early in August then re-injured it trying to come back too soon.  His return is fantastic news for a secondary that has been brutal without him and Kenny Phillips.  The Giants may even play Ross at safety, where he has past experience, because of the ineffectiveness of C.C. Brown and Aaron Rouse and due to the emergence of Terrell Thomas. 

2. Red Zone Offense/Defense

The Giants have reached the red zone 36 times, second in the league behind only the offensive juggernaut that is the New Orleans Saints.  That seems great and all but look deeper and you see that they have only converted 15 of those 36 trips for touchdowns for a 41%, ranking them 28th in the league.

Giants fans hate to admit it, but they miss Plaxico Burress.  Plax may have been a headache, but he was beast near the goal line.  The Giants receivers have done their best to replace Burress and have exceeded expectations, but none of them represent the red zone threat that Burress was.  The closest thing they have is rookie Ramses Barden, but he has been inactive on game days and it doesn’t look like he’ll be “up” anytime soon.

As bad as the offense has fared in the red zone, the defense has been even worse.  They have given opponents 29 red zone opportunities and they have cashed in for a touchdown on 22 occasions.  That comes out to a 75.95%, ranking them dead last in the NFL.  After seeing numbers like these, you wonder how the Giants are 5-4.  You’d expect to these numbers from the Browns or the Lions, but not the Giants.

3. Use Brandon Jacobs

Brandon Jacobs got off to a slow start to the season, but it went unnoticed because the Giants were 5-0.  During their four game slide Jacobs is averaging 5.1 yards per carry, but has only received 51 carries, an average of under 13 carries per game compared to the 20 carries he averaged during the first five games of the season.  Jacobs is the kind of runner that becomes more effective the more carries he gets.  He wears the defense and punishes them in the fourth quarter.  The Giants need to start pounding the ball to Jacobs again.  Their offense is built to run the football, so why not play to your strengths.

4. Improve Defensive Play Calling

It’s clear the Giants miss Steve Spagnuolo.  His replacement, Bill Sheridan, has been a common scapegoat for the Giants recent problems and while he isn’t the only man to blame, he has made his fair share of mistakes.  I noticed one glaring mistake in last Sundays game against the Chargers.  In the game Sheridan had Justin Tuck is pass coverage against Pro Bowl tight end, Antonio Gates.  I don’t understand why he has his best pass rusher covering one of the best tight ends in the NFL.  Let him and Osi do what they do best, rush the passer.  Leave covering tight ends to Mathias Kiwanuka, who has spent a season playing linebacker.

Now, I still feel the Giants can make the playoffs.  The schedule is tough though, and it won’t be a cake walk.

The road for redemption starts next week versus the Falcons.