Panic-stricken Giants fans are sending out an S.O.S. to the Giants’ defense.
Save Our Season.
And none other than Eli Manning, two-time Super Bowl champion, acknowledges that with coach Ben McAdoo desperately searching for ways to awaken this offense from its slumber, he will need and welcome Big Blue’s help Sunday at the Linc against the bloodthirsty Eagles.
“We gotta ride [the defense] a little bit,” Manning told The Post. “I know it. It changes your mindset a little bit.
“When things are tough, hey, you can … not be patient … but not try to force things. Don’t put ’em in a bad situation. Don’t turn the ball over. Don’t make it easy on the opposing offenses.
“When you’re going through a tough time, you gotta ride it out and hope they can get us some field position, they can get us turnovers, and we can get a spark.”
Manning relayed that message to defensive players in the cafeteria Wednesday.
“I appreciate them, and say, ‘Hey, keep doing your part. We’re gonna figure it out, but y’all keep balling out, and we’ll find a way to help you,’?” Manning told The Post.
It was a Week 3 goal-line stand on the road against the Redskins in 2007 that saved the season and ignited the Super Bowl XLII Giants.

The men of Big Blue have talked about being a great defense ever since Olivier Vernon and Janoris “Jackrabbit” Jenkins and Damon “Snacks” Harrison arrived as high-priced 2016 free agents, and Jason Pierre-Paul was re-signed and safety Landon Collins emerged as a defensive player of the year candidate in his second season.
They have talked about upholding a tradition that started even before Lawrence Taylor raged around the corner terrorizing offensive tackles and quarterbacks and Harry Carson owned the point of attack, even against John Riggins and the Hogs, and Michael Strahan stomped … you … out.
They have listened to defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo implore them over and over again to make their predecessors proud.
That great defense needs to show up, and now.
Not good.
Great.
“It’s a challenge for them to see, ‘Hey, it’s a tough situation these last few weeks.’ They may think, ‘Hey, we have to shut somebody out,’ or ‘We gotta score on defense,’?” Manning said.
“Until we work things out, till we figure things out and get into a rhythm and get things going, we need them to continue to play well.”
A great defense takes the ball away from Carson Wentz or Darren Sproles and gives Manning a shorter path to the end zone while he has lost his compass and is too often peering up at the sky. Even better, a great defense scores.
There is a crisis of confidence on Manning’s side of the ball, directly related to the woeful offensive line, the absence of a running game, struggling Brandon Marshall and Odell Beckham Jr.’s sprained ankle.
Big Blue return nine of last year’s 11 starters, who virtually carried the Giants to the playoffs last season, and Darian Thompson is supposed to be an upgrade at free safety.
“We play with that pressure all the time. We feel like we’re the backbone of this organization,” Collins said, “and we’re gonna try to make any possible play, and just try to play smart, getting our offense back the ball, close to the 50 or on the 45 just to make a play or give them good field position to march the ball downfield, even if it’s to get three. It’s points.”
Big Blue won’t reach greatness until it is better at getting off the field on third down.
“As a defense, we have to play much better,” Collins said. “Until our offense can pick it up, we need to hold teams to maybe zero to three points or less.”
S.O.S.