Odell finds inspiration on opposite side of ball

PAUL SCHWARTZ’S BIG BLUE PLAYBOOK

When he needs inspiration, Odell Beckham Jr. does not look within himself. He does not look into the eyes of Eli Manning or Victor Cruz. Beckham looks elsewhere.

“Whenever I’m in a game and I need something to pick me up, I watch the defense — the intensity they play with, the tenacity. The everything,’’ he said.

It is hard to define what “the everything’’ exactly is, but Beckham gets it. Whatever it is the Giants are doing on defense, it is working, so why not look at it and try to emulate it? Without this restocked and surging defense, the Giants would not be able to sniff the playoffs. With this defense, they are on the scent of the postseason as they face the Lions on Sunday in a battle of 9-4 teams thinking big thoughts.

The rousing 10-7 victory over the Cowboys was outrageous in that the Giants’ defense nearly pitched a shutout, and the offense had trouble getting out of the batters’ box. Sure, Beckham did what few in the NFL can do with a slant route — take it a long way to the house — but otherwise, this was not even a pedestrian showing on offense. No wonder the third-year receiver, hoping for his first playoff invitation, is searching for answers by gazing out on what Olivier Vernon, Janoris Jenkins, Landon Collins and the whole defensive gang are doing.

“‘Just not gonna let somebody beat us,’ is their mentality,’’ Beckham said approvingly. “It’s just great to be on the other side, just want to help them out more, whether it’s on special teams or offense. We just got to do more to help the defense out.’’

This unbalanced team can clinch a playoff spot this weekend — it is a farfetched scenario, with the Giants winning and the Vikings, Packers and Redskins all losing or tying. This likely is the last game of the season at MetLife Stadium, and coming in is a hot team (the Lions have a five-game winning streak) that has held opponents to 20 points or fewer in seven consecutive games. Quarterback Matthew Stafford has developed into a Comeback Kid, but he has ligament damage in the middle finger of his right (throwing) hand — which could affect his grip, especially if the forecast of mild temperature and rain holds up. Dealing with the elements is not familiar territory for the Lions — they haven’t played a game outdoors since Oct. 2.

“You can’t show up for the game and think, ‘Well, it’s an important game, I have to play harder,’ ’’ Giants coach Ben McAdoo said. “It’s about the way you prepare during the course of the week. Everything we do during the course of a week is about winning the game on Sunday. If you don’t win the game, it feels like you flushed a whole week of your life down the toilet.’’

To avoid that flush, the Giants cannot continue to struggle to score and move the ball.

“I truly believe in timing of everything, I believe that it will all come together at the right time,’’ Beckham said. “It’s just a matter of when that time is.’’

Asked if it seems weird the wait has lasted this long, Beckham said, “What’s weirder is our record is what it is and we haven’t done that. That’s a good thing, I guess. We haven’t lived up to our potential on offense and we’re still finding ways to win games.’’