The Giants might be looking for a scapegoat at season’s end.

What they really need are a few more horses.

The attempt to elevate James Bettcher’s defense by adding players familiar with the coordinator’s playbook had one major flaw that shows up every game: Markus Golden, Antoine Bethea, Olsen Pierre and Deone Bucannon are not All-Pros Chandler Jones, Tyrann Mathieu and Patrick Peterson.

The Giants tried to turn complementary players from Bettcher’s three straight top 10-ranked defenses with the Cardinals (2015-17) into their main players. The results are a predictable disaster and put Bettcher in the crosshairs as the Giants rank No. 27 in total defense and No. 30 in scoring defense.

“The structure of the defense was the same there [Cardinals] as it is right now,” Ronde Barber told The Post. “It’s Year 2 and you expect a lot of the players to take [a step]. To a degree they have, but they don’t have the players they had there. The simplest answer is it’s personnel driven.”

General manager Dave Gettleman vowed after last season to upgrade the defense. Instead the Giants relied on free-agent bargains — Golden is one of the few to pan out — and the draft, committing the fourth-fewest salary-cap dollars in the NFL to the defense.

DeAndre Baker, a first-round pick graded by Pro Football Focus as the worst starting cornerback in the league, is the face of the young team’s struggles. If it’s not him committing one of his team-high six penalties or giving up a big play, it could be one of seven other first- or second-year teammates.

“Helping out one person was making the rest of the defense weaker,” Barber said. “It’s a based-down version of [Bettcher’s] best stuff.”

The Giants have allowed 51 plays of 20 yards or more — third-most in the NFL — including a league-high 12 passes of 40 yards or more. They are minus-12 in turnovers.

“They’ve been hurt by giving up chunk plays,” Chris Spielman told The Post. “Some of those are going to happen, but you’ve got to be better in gaps and with missed tackling in the back end. The red-zone defense isn’t bad, but teams are scoring from far out.”

Barber and Spielman combined to make nine Pro Bowls over 26 NFL seasons and now both work as analysts for Fox Sports. Barber was in the booth for two Giants games (Buccaneers, Jets) and Spielman will do his second (Redskins) when the Giants visit the Bears at 1 p.m. Sunday.

“I don’t think they are light years away,” Spielman said. “I think they are getting the personnel in there to run what they want to run best. I know it’s frustrating for fans because everybody wants immediate results. There’s nothing wrong with the scheme. When I look at what James is trying to get done, I believe in it. Ultimately, the players are the ones who need to get it done.”

While injuries hamper the Giants’ offense, the defense has stayed relatively healthy other than losing linebackers Ryan Connelly and Kareem Martin. The Giants added Bucannon after he was cut by the Buccaneers and traded for Leonard Williams, whom the Jets determined was not worth re-signing.

“They are looking for better players,” Barber said. “Those deficiencies … might have a good day here or there, but the collective group is not good enough to run the scheme as it wants to be run.”

Bettcher relies on cliches about “fundamentals” and being “close” to a solution. The locker room says (as does Spielman) only a handful of plays here or there are the difference in a game.

The naked eye suggests the Giants are not close.

“You are looking at a young team that really hasn’t taken ownership of the job yet,” Barber said. “That’s tough for coordinators. Most coordinators put together a plan expecting their players to execute it. Coordinators have to adjust when it doesn’t go right. It’s up to them right now to figure it out now.”

Spielman sees promise in Williams, Connelly, rookie first-round pick Dexter Lawrence and Jabrill Peppers. If there is a turning point, facing the Bears’ offense could be it.

“People think NFL players are the most confident guys in the world. They are not,” Spielman said. “If you are not making plays, all of a sudden you are looking around. Some guys might be pressing it a little bit.

“They are coming off a bye. They are playing a struggling offense. Whatever complaints there are about the Giants defense, I can promise you there’s complaints about the Bears offense.”