Eli needs to do what he does best — lead the Giants

Clutch is not isolated to down the stretch of a Super Bowl staring down Bill Belichick and the Patriots or throwing through the arctic blast at Lambeau Field or repeatedly pulling his battered body off the soggy Candlestick grass.

Whether or not to put “elite’’ in front of Eli Manning’s name is a tired and pointless discussion, but as the Giants’ franchise quarterback he has been his best at the right time. In order to remind everyone of that rare and coveted reputation, in the next two weeks he needs to get his team back to the playoffs.

Manning won’t be asked to tackle Ray Rice on Sunday in Baltimore, and if the Giants cannot somehow clean up their shoddy run defense — this team’s most alarming, season-long failing — the postseason might be an afterthought before Christmas. Manning, though, is asked to score more than he did last week in Atlanta, which was not at all, more than he did at Washington (16 points), more than he did in Cincinnati (13) and more than he did in Philadelphia (19). Manning this weekend is asked — loudly — not to throw anything remotely sloppy in the vicinity of Ed Reed because the Pick Six that follows will have nothing to do with betting horse races or buying lottery tickets.

Manning is asked to get his act together and get the Giants where they unquestionably belong, as one of the six NFC playoff teams. He has already secured his postseason legacy and the Super Bowl MVP automobiles he has been awarded don’t get driven away if the Giants go one-and-done in January. There is nothing career-defining about what comes next, but Manning is probably 60 percent done with his quarterback life and there are no guarantees that every December will afford these opportunities.

The Giants, after their requisite 6-2 start, after dominating first-place teams such as the 49ers and Packers, would be bitterly disappointed not to get into the NFC tournament. It would actually be embarrassing on some levels because it would constitute a late-season meltdown that could not be traced to a spate of injuries or a run of bad luck.

Yet fear is not a Manning motivator.

“I think the excitement and opportunity to make the playoffs is the greatest motivator,’’ he said. “I don’t think fear is a motivator.’’

Sitting in this spot one year ago, at 7-7 and knowing two wins captured the NFC East title, the Giants weren’t backed into a corner as much as they were thrust onto the high-wire circus act with no net. The emotion of the Christmas Eve tussle with Rex Ryan’s “Big Brother’’ Jets nearly overshadowed the playoff implications and riled the Giants up to a frenzied level. The next week, the Cowboys arrived for an elimination, winner-take-all, loser-go-home division championship.

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