FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — And then there were two.

The Giants were operating this season with three quarterbacks on their roster, although only two — Daniel Jones and Eli Manning — were active on game days. Alex Tanney, the No. 3 quarterback, has not been in uniform in any of the first five games and on Thursday was waived because the Giants are in dire straits at the running back position.

Tanney’s spot on the roster was taken by Austin Walters, a running back signed off the practice squad. Injuries to Saquon Barkley (high ankle sprain) and Wayne Gallman (concussion) left the Giants with only one running back, undrafted rookie Jon Hilliman, heading into the game with the Patriots at Gillette Stadium on Thursday. The only other possible ball carrier was fullback Eli Penny. That was too thin for comfort in the offensive backfield and so Walter was promoted.

Walter, 23, ran for 1,744 yards at Rice, went undrafted and was signed by the 49ers, who cut him in late August. The Giants signed Walter to their practice squad on Sept. 18.

Tanney, a journeyman if ever there was one, made the Giants’ roster last season ahead of Davis Webb, a 2017 third-round draft pick. Tanney made it again this season, as coach Pat Shurmur is fond of Tanney’s ability to quickly pick up offenses.

Tanney could be brought back once the running back situation clears up. Barkley could be back in Week 7 for the game against the Cardinals, and Gallman should be available by then, as well.

The end has not yet come for Manning, but it is hovering over the 38-year-old quarterback, as he was benched after two games and is spending his 16th NFL season as a backup to the rookie Jones.

The end has not yet come for Tom Brady and it is not anywhere in the vicinity of the 42-year old quarterback. He won yet another Super Bowl last season and had his Patriots 5-0 heading into Thursday night’s game.

Brady and Manning getting together, even if Manning is no longer the starter, means something and prompted Brady this past week to be asked if seeing what went down with Manning this season makes him think about how many years he has left and how he anticipates the end of his career turning out.

“How I want it to end? Oh man. I think I’ve had a great career,’’ Brady said. “I mean, it’s an Eli question, so Eli’s been a great player and great for that organization. We’ve had great battles against their team, certainly in big moments. They’ve got us in the big moments, unfortunately, but they deserved it. Eli’s played great. He’s been a great player for that organization, for the team. I think his teammates — he’s got the respect of all those guys, and that’s what you play for. You play for the respect of your teammates and your coaches. They know what you put into it. They know what it means to you. They can feel it. I mean, he’s had an incredible career.’’

WR Darius Slayton was one of the less-heralded draft picks, arriving in the fifth round from Auburn, and his first NFL spring/summer was not a rousing success. He endured a miserable first practice, dropping nearly everything in sight, and then went down and out with a strained hamstring that kept him out of the first two regular-season games. Ever since he healed and got on the field, the speedy rookie has flashed plenty of potential and led the Giants with 62 receiving yards in the loss to the Vikings. Slayton collected his first NFL touchdown, making a fingertip grab in the end zone to complete a 35-yard pass play.

“We drafted him for a reason,” Shurmur said. “We’ve liked what we’ve seen behind the scenes. He’s getting more and more of an opportunity to play, and he’s making the best of it. The hamstring problem for him was sort of the issue of the day. But aside from that, he’s done a lot of good things.”

The Patriots did not allow a passing touchdown in their first five games. The last team to go five straight games without allowing a passing touchdown was the 1988 Browns.