The one given during this season of torture for the Giants was that Eli Manning would show up. Despite how bad things were going personally and for the team, Manning was the quarterback, making his 151st straight start in Sunday’s season finale against the Redskins.

So if there needed to be a reminder what a disaster 2013 has been, the image of the two-time Super Bowl MVP hobbling off the field and into the locker room just before halftime offered a sobering exclamation point. It’s an image the Giants have seldom seen before and as coach Tom Coughlin said: “I don’t want to see that again.”

Manning didn’t play in the second half after suffering a high sprain to his left ankle while being tackled after throwing an incomplete pass with 61 seconds left before halftime. Clearly hurting and unable to move, he stubbornly stayed in for one more play. But he was on one leg when he threw an all-arm pass that tipped off the fingers of tight end Brandon Myers and into the hands of cornerback Josh Wilson.

“I didn’t think I was going to pull it down and run it at that point,” Manning said after changing into his streets clothes and being fitted with a boot to immobilize his left foot. “I tried to fit it in there and it ended up being tipped and intercepted. It didn’t work out well for us.”

Not a lot has worked out well for Manning this year. The turnover provided a fitting bookend to what has been his worst statistical season as a pro. He began the year throwing an interception on his first pass at Dallas and ended it with an interception on his last pass against the Redskins. He threw 25 other interceptions in a 7-9 season. Still, he would have liked to have played one more half.

“You hate to leave your teammates,” Manning said. “It’s the last game of the season and you want to go out there and finish and get a win.”

Losing Manning would have been catastrophic in most cases. But the hapless Redskins (3-13) hardly put up a fight as backup quarterback Curtis Painter played the entire second half of a 20-6 Giants victory at rain-soaked MetLife Stadium.

Despite whispers to the contrary, Manning still has plenty of good football left in him. He turns 33 on Friday and given his work ethic and attention to detail, chances are good he’ll be able to quickly rebound if surrounded by more talent.

The 27 interceptions and the 69.4 quarterback rating are not all his fault. The injuries on the offensive line and at running back along with sub-par play at wide receiver are well-documented. But improving the offense must start with better ball security and decision-making by the quarterback.

“I’ll look hard at this season and see if there’s a common reason why we didn’t have success whether it was the throws or the offense in general,” Manning said. “[I’ll] talk with the coordinators and coaches and try to figure out the best way to make improvement. If I’ve got to look at mechanics, I’ll look hard at it and figure out a way to get back to playing at a high level.”

Four months ago, Manning was hoping he would be playing in the Super Bowl at MetLife Stadium. Now he has to root for the next best thing — his brother Peyton and the Broncos. Maybe it’s all karma, considering Eli won his most recent Super Bowl in what had been Peyton’s home stadium in Indianapolis.

“You’re never happy to see the season end unless you win a championship,” Manning said. “You’re always going to wish you had one more game or wish you could have done something better. It was a tough year.”

As the Giants prepare for the 2014 season there are plenty of decisions that must be made. The only given is this: Manning will show up for start No. 152.