When Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston connected with Mike Evans for a 44-yard pass completion to the Giants’ 9-yard line with 13 seconds left last Sunday, it seemed like the exclamation point on a miserable game for cornerback Janoris “Jackrabbit” Jenkins.

The big gain not only put the Buccaneers in position to kick a game-winning 34-yard field goal, but capped a monstrous day for Evans, who caught eight passes for 190 yards and three touchdowns. Most of that came at the expense of Jenkins, whose nightmare began during the opening drive, on which Evans beat him twice: first for 18 yards over the middle and then for a 21-yard touchdown, the first score of the game.

Matt Gay went wide right on the failed game-winning field goal try, taking Jenkins off the hook and handing the Giants a 32-31 victory in Tampa. The veteran cornerback is hoping to redeem himself Sunday against NFC East rival Washington at MetLife Stadium.

“It’s just important to come back out and play football,” Jenkins said Friday. “Everybody gets paid. Like I said, there isn’t any pressure. You have games like that. I’m just ready to play this week.”

An eight-year veteran, Jenkins is being counted on to be a reliable bookend to rookie first-round pick DeAndre Baker, who has endured his share of growing pains. With the Giants struggling to establish a pass rush, the secondary has been exposed. It’s all part of why the Giants rank last in the league in pass defense and second-to-last in overall defense.

“We are getting better,” Jenkins insisted. “We understand the formations [and] route concepts. We are just out here working just trying to get better.”

The Giants’ defensive schemes against Tampa Bay weren’t always the best. At 6-foot-5, Evans is a difficult matchup for anyone. The Pro Bowl receiver beat the smaller Jenkins for a 55-yard gain in the second quarter, when some deep help could have made a difference. Just before halftime, Evans scored his third touchdown by beating Jenkins on a simple 20-yard uncontested slant into a wide open middle.

“You have to understand they’re going to make some plays. I’m going to make some plays,” Jenkins said, adding, “You just have to move forward. It’s football. You can’t defend everything. You can’t knock down everything. You just go out and play football and then bounce back. Whatever happened, happened.”

Washington will bring the ninth-rated passing offense to the Meadowlands, with rookie receiver Terry McLaurin, questionable with a hamstring injury, emerging as one of the best young receivers in the league. The third-round pick from Ohio State with 4.3 speed became the first player in NFL history to have five-plus receptions and one touchdown in three consecutive games to start his career.

“He’s fast and he has good route running ability,” Jenkins said. “We just have to stay on top of our game.”

Evans’ three first-half touchdowns helped the Bucs to a 28-10 lead at the break, the third straight game in which the Giants have trailed by at least 14 points at halftime. It’s a trend the Giants know must change.

“We have to come out fast, everybody knows that,” Jenkins said. “Everybody has to be on point, including myself, and just play football.”

A week earlier, Jenkins seemed to point fingers at the defensive line for lack of a pass rush, saying he couldn’t “cover anybody for 10 seconds.” This week he’s trying to be an example to Baker on how to overcome the adversity that comes with being a cornerback.

“He is going to see Sunday how I am going to bounce back and hopefully he learns from it,” Jenkins said. “It’s a teaching experience for him, going through me. There isn’t any pressure. I’m going to go out there and play football the way I always play football.”

The Giants need him to play better than he did last Sunday.