Having long since squandered any shot at an NFC East championship or wild card berth, the Washington Redskins trotted out to MetLife Stadium for Sunday's regular season finale against the New York Giants with far more modest goals in mind.

One: beat a turmoil-ridden opponent that had won only two games all season to finish their disappointing season at .500.

Two: demonstrate, through the soundness of their play, that there is something to build on for next season.

But in an ugly display on both sides of the ball, the Redskins managed neither, falling to the Giants, 18-10, to finish 7-9 (1-5 NFC East) and, in the process, call into question the notion that Redskins President Bruce Allen and Coach Jay Gruden have built a foundation for success in 2018.

In many ways, the game was lost in the first 2½ minutes.

Pity the Giants fans who showed up late on a frigid afternoon, with wind gusts making the 15-degree temperature feel like 2 degrees. They didn't catch Giants running back Orleans Darkwa sidestepping Redskins defenders and streaking 75 yards for a touchdown on the game's second play. They also missed Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins throwing an interception (his first of three) on his first pass attempt. Intended for wide receiver Josh Doctson, the ball was picked off by linebacker Kelvin Sheppard.

Taking over at the Washington 19-yard line, Giants quarterback Eli Manning then fired a 16-yard strike to Hunter Sharp in the end zone. With it, the Giants, who hadn't won a game since Nov. 19, jumped out to a 12-0 lead just 2:18 into the proceedings.

If most of the Redskins were in some cold-weather stupor, they never snapped out of it against an eminently beatable opponent that over the final three quarters scored just three points and punted nine times.

[The pivotal plays from Washington’s dismal final loss]

Two statistics told the story of how poorly the Redskins played after crowing all week about how much it would mean to finish on a three-game winning streak, with a semi-respectable 8-8 record.

The offense converted just one of 13 third downs against the Giants' 28th-ranked defense. And the Redskins' defense gave up 260 rushing yards (Darkwa alone had 154) to a Giants offense that was averaging just 85.9 rushing yards.

"We just didn't make any plays offensively," said Gruden, whose four-year record fell to 28-35-1, in his brief postgame remarks. "We just could never score enough to catch up offensively."

Few NFL teams were in more disarray than the Giants heading into Week 17. In the past six weeks, they benched their two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback (then reinstated him), fired their coach and general manager and suspended their 2016 first-round draft pick. Yet with all that and a depleted receiving corps, interim coach Steve Spagnuolo snapped a five-game losing streak, his hand-me-down Giants outgaining the Redskins 381 yards to 197 to finish 3-13.

[The best and (mostly) worst moments from the loss to New York]

Spagnuolo was so overjoyed he lingered on the frigid field afterward to give Manning a hug and asked a photographer to take their picture.

"It's a memory," Spagnuolo explained later. "We've both been through a lot, and none more than him with his season. But he never changed."

The Redskins, too, have been through a lot, with injuries ending the year for roughly one-third of their Week 1 starters. The front-office gamble that second-year receiver Doctson and quarterback-turned-wide receiver Terrelle Pryor could compensate for the loss of two 1,000-yard receivers failed badly. The output of Doctson and Pryor combined didn't total 1,000 yards (742, in fact). And a defense that started the season impressively ran hot and cold down the stretch.

But with a golden opportunity to end on a high note, installed as 4½ -point favorites on the Giants' home field, the Redskins fell woefully short. After their 10-point first-half performance, their second-half possessions ended on two interceptions, four punts and one missed field goal.

It was the second consecutive year in which they were outplayed in their regular season finale by a Giants team with nothing at stake. And it raised questions about the direction the team, regardless of whether Cousins returns in 2018 under a long-term deal, or some variation of a franchise tag or departs.

All three of Cousins's interceptions Sunday were poor. The second, he said, was intentionally underthrown to Ryan Grant to avoid the safety lurking on top but upon reflection didn't give Grant a chance to come back for the catch. The third — with 2:40 remaining — was an over-aggressive stab at making something happen, he said.

[Steinberg: 27 things I hated about the Redskins’ loss]

Although Cousins surpassed the 4,000-yard passing mark for a third consecutive season, what might have been his final game in a Redskins uniform was among his worst (20 for 37 for 158 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions). He concluded the season with 27 touchdowns and a career-high 13 interceptions.

After giving up the 75-yard touchdown on the second play, the Redskins' troubles were compounded when they lost running back Samaje Perine (ankle) and left tackle Ty Nsekhe (knee).

By that point, the Giants led 12-0.

The Redskins got their first positive play from linebacker Preston Smith, who got a hand up to intercept Manning and halt the Giants' early momentum and hand the offense the ball on the New York 20. Cousins, on a quarterback option play, motored into the left corner of the end zone for the touchdown that made it 12-7.

The Giants continued to move the ball with ease in the first quarter, driving 70 yards on nine plays and following with a 23-yard field goal that made it 15-7.

Just 18 seconds remained in the first half when Jamison Crowder pounced on a punt return and ran it back 29 yards to the New York 31. As time expired, place-kicker Dustin Hopkins made a 49-yard field goal to pare the Giants' lead at 15-10 at the break.

The Redskins never scored again. The second half devolved into a punt-fest as chants of "Eli Manning! Eli Manning!" rang out.