AP

Giants coach Tom Coughlin says his team’s problem is pretty simple: They have to play better.

Coughlin said today that his message to his players and coaches is nothing more than that they have to perform the way they’re capable of performing, and if they do, they’ll snap their three-game losing streak.

“We’ll win when we deserve to win. We haven’t done enough things to put us over the top,” Coughlin said. “We have got to get back to work. We have four games to go. We’ve got to work extra hard as a coaching staff, and our players will work hard, and we’ve got to win a game and change this negativity and get going in the right direction.”

Coughlin noted that the 5-7 Giants have been close to winning almost every game all season: They’ve had two losses by one point, two losses by three points, one loss by four points and one loss by six points.

“We’re all sick of losing, let’s face it,” Coughlin said. “We’ve had too many close games that went the wrong way at the end of the game. . . . When the game is on the line, we have to step up and make plays.”

If there’s any good news for the Giants, it’s that they’re only half a game out of first place, and will move into a tie for first if Washington loses tonight. The Giants aren’t out of the NFC East race, even if they’re not playing winning football right now.