LANDOVER, Md. — Josh Norman walked around toward the end of Washington’s season-ending 19-10 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday wanting to thank fans for showing up for what should have been a playoff-clinching victory over an opponent with nothing to play for.

Instead, his team came out flat, Kirk Cousins threw two costly interceptions, and Washington blew what was essentially a win-and-in opportunity to join the Giants in the playoffs.

“You don’t come out and lose like that,” Norman said. “That right there was just disgusting, it was despicable. … That right there, it’s not football.”

With control of its playoff hopes, Washington (8-7-1) lost two of its final three games and four of six down the stretch with a combination of horrendous starts, ill-timed mistakes and lackluster offense. Cousins was picked off in the second half twice by Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, the second interception all but sealing the result.

Cousins was 22 of 35 for 287 yards with a touchdown in what could be his final game with Washington after playing this season on the franchise tag.

“This isn’t my first time dealing with this,” said Cousins, who was sacked four times. “Tough times don’t last; tough people do, right? I sound like a broken record, but I’m going to keep saying that until I retire.”

Washington players complimented the Giants (11-5) for being “the better team,” which was jarring given that they were locked into the NFC’s first wild-card spot and had nothing at stake. Eli Manning played the entire game for the Giants and was 17 of 27 for 180 yards as New York employed a conservative second-half approach and still came away with the victory.

The Giants will open the playoffs Sunday on the road against NFC North champion Green Bay.

Giants Coach Ben McAdoo called it “a physical, hard-nosed football game against a hungry team on the road where we ran the ball, we stopped the run, we took care of the ball, and we took the ball away.”

For Washington, it was the ultimate failure with its season on the line.

“They just made more plays to win the game, and that’s what good teams do,” defensive end Chris Baker said. “Any time you have the situation in your hands to make it to the next level and you don’t capitalize on that, it’s a disappointment.