From the moment Aaron Rodgers dropped back and heaved a Hail Mary pass, the Giants have fallen into disarray. Who could have known the ball that fell from the heavens into Randall Cobb’s arms would serve, in retrospect, as an explosive force for the Giants’ franchise? The Packers rode the touchdown to a blowout victory, and the Giants have devolved into the lowliest outfit in the league. They’re the Browns without the benefit of draft picks or low expectations.

The wreckage officially worsened Monday when the Giants placed star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., their best players by miles, on injured reserve with a fractured ankle suffered in Sunday’s 27-22 home loss to the San Diego Chargers. The defeat itself had been embarrassing — the Chargers were 0-4 and playing 3,000 miles from home at what, for their body clocks, was 10 a.m. Beckham’s injury made it disastrous — there is no compelling reason to watch them, and no hope they will contend for anything other than the first overall draft pick.

How could the Giants have fallen so far, so fast? It started with an ill-fated offseason. The Giants, despite an 11-win season, had obvious needs on the offensive line, at linebacker and in the secondary. If they needed a skill player, it was at running back — and Dalvin Cook was available. And yet they used their first-round pick on Evan Engram, an athletic, pass-catching tight end who can’t block. Engram is a good player. For the Giants, it represented buying a new hood ornament when the carburetors and brakes are busted.

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The Giants opted not to upgrade their offensive line in free agency, a bizarre and irresponsible decision by General Manager Jerry Reese. In an attempt to improve their depth at wide receiver, the Giants rolled the dice on Brandon Marshall, who had aged into his decline phase the year before with the Jets. The Giants’ overall depth had been decreasing in quality over the years, but this offseason accelerated the decline. As the players around him worsened, Eli Manning aged another year and continued his own decline.

The defense, so strong last season, has buckled under the pressure brought on by the Giants’ offense and a continued weakness at linebacker. They have allowed at least 24 points in four straight weeks, including 27 to the Chargers, who had previously failed to crack 24 and averaged 18.

The Giants’ best option now is to restart. Their quarterback is nearing the end, and they should have the chance to draft one of the top-shelf prospects coming out of college. After this season, the Giants can’t trust Ben McAdoo to coach the next quarterback or Reese to put players around him. Steve Politi of The Star-Ledger began his column off Sunday’s game like this:

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Everyone has to go. The general manager. The head coach. The quarterback. But don’t even stop there. Someone needs to lob a canister of tear gas into the leaderless locker room, too, because this housecleaning won’t be complete until that space is scrubbed and sanitized with the precision of an elite hazmat crew.

Other than that, things have gone well. The Giants are a mess. All that remains are the repercussions and the countdown to the draft.

>>> Sally Jenkins weighed in on the state of the national anthem debate after Jerry Jones ordered the Cowboys to sit. An excerpt:

In other words, [Eric] Reid and other players are using their NFL stage to make calculated gestures on injustice they feel deeply about. The NFLPA acknowledged as much Monday in a statement defending their actions: “Our men and their families are also conscientious Americans . . . and some have decided to use their platform to peacefully raise awareness to issues that deserve attention.”

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It’s a decision I respect, and have defended.

But Pence had every right to “use” that platform too, to redirect attention to those who have died serving. Whatever you may think of Pence and Trump as spokespersons, millions of Americans deeply, and legitimately, feel the anthem is the wrong moment to hijack for a cause, no matter how worthy or peaceful. Among those who apparently feel that way is White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly, the retired Marine general who lost his son Robert to a land mine in Afghanistan. Recently CNN quoted Kelly as saying, “Every American should stand up and think for three lousy minutes.”

Sally always makes you think. I would quibble with one point she makes here: No one in public life has made Americans think — or at least tried to make Americans think — about what America stands for more than football players kneeling during the national anthem.

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>> Leonard Fournette might have been right about the NFL being easy for him. On Sunday, he ran 28 times for 181 yards and two touchdowns. He leads the NFL with five rushing touchdowns, and he’s run for 466 yards. His battering-ram style is perfect for the Jaguars, who want to control the ball and lean on an excellent defense stocked with high draft picks. As Michael DiRocco writes, teammates are loving his physical style. The Jags are 3-2 and might be a factor in the AFC South.

>> Chicago may not have won Monday night, but the Bears have a quarterback to hope in Mitch Trubisky, Mark Maske writes.