EAST RUTHERFORD, N. J. — In a little more than two weeks, the New York Giants’ 2014 season will be over and the annual rebuilding begins for a franchise that entered the season with so much hope, then fell far short.

One hot topic certain to be among the first discussed by team ownership is the fate of head coach Tom Coughlin, who per a report by the New York Post, has a “99.9 percent” chance of returning next season.

If Coughlin is worried about what the future holds, he did a good job of downplaying it during his Monday afternoon conference call with reporters.

“My concern is with our team getting ready to play the St. Louis Rams, and I’m sure (my future) will be dealt with at the right time,” Coughlin said.

This isn’t the first time Coughlin was under fire. He was on the hot seat after the 2006 and 2010 seasons only to come back the following years and lead the Giants to Super Bowl championships.

Coughlin also answered critics who claim he was too set in his ways. Over the years, he became a little less rigid in dealing with his players by showing his human side, and he adjusted the team’s practice schedules to ensure that the players are as fresh as can be on game day.

Of course, it is also going to help Coughlin’s case with team ownership if he can continue to keep his team together and finish the year on a positive note so that when the rebuilding does begin, the transition is as smooth as possible.

Unlike some losing locker rooms, Coughlin’s Giants haven’t been sniping at each other or at the coaching staff through the media.

The players also show no signs of having quit on the coach, playing as hard as they can, showing a pulse at most every turn and putting themselves on the line despite the fact that there isn’t anything left to play for this season other than pride.

“You always want to be on a positive note. You would like everything to be with the arrow going up,” Coughlin said. “We have talked an awful lot about improvement and ascending and it is the time of the year to do those things.”

Those very things are surely not going unnoticed by team co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch, who are expected to join general manager Jerry Reese in conducting the top-to-bottom evaluation of the football operations just as soon as the last bit of debris is swept up from the MetLife Stadium grounds.

Until then, Coughlin just wants to do what it is he does best: teach, motivate and prepare his players to win these last two games.

“These things are one game at a time, but again the encouragement, the positivity, the winning idea, the opportunity for young people to contribute in a very strong way — those are all positive things,” he said.

–RB Rashad Jennings (ankle), who was not on the injury report last week, re-aggravated the injury on the first play in which he was on the field and did not return.

REPORT CARD VS. REDSKINS

–PASSING OFFENSE: A – The Odell Beckham Jr, show continued its high rating this week as the rookie not only added three more touchdown receptions to his stat line, he also drew 85 penalty yards that helped his team move the change. Of course, credit must also be given to the man throwing the ball, quarterback Eli Manning, who completed 67 percent of his pass attempts and who had no interceptions, and the offensive pass blocking effort, which pretty much kept the Redskins out of the offensive backfield and away from Manning.

–RUSHING OFFENSE: D – After breaking out last week against the Titans, the Giants struggled on the ground, albeit against a good Redskins run defense. New York finished with 49 yards on 22 carries, their longest run being six yards by Andre Williams.

–PASS DEFENSE: B-minus – The Giants successfully shut down DeSean Jackson, holding him to three catches for 15 yards. However, they are still struggling to shut down the big pass-plays, giving up a 22-yarder to Pierre Garcon, a 37-yarder to Silas Redd, and a 61-yarder to Andre Roberts, three plays that came about thanks to a breakdown in coverage.

–RUSH DEFENSE: B – The next time the Giants run defense bottles up a read-option quarterback will be a first. New York allowed Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III to rush for 46 yards on five carries, including a long of 23, the best run of the day for Washington.

–SPECIAL TEAMS: A – Other than a kickoff that went out of bounds, this unit had its best showing of the season. Kudos to special teams coordinator Tom Quinn and his unit for the calling and executing of a textbook onside kick to start the second half. Although it only resulted in a field goal when the drive was done, it was a key score in the game in that it tied things up and gave the Giants momentum. Also having a strong showing was the punt coverage unit, which placed four out of five punts inside the 20-yard line.

–COACHING: A-minus – Regardless of the opponent’s record this season, credit head coach Tom Coughlin for having his players believe they’re about to square off against a defending Super Bowl champion. His belief in his players is certainly reciprocated as he continues to get solid efforts from the team as a whole despite there being nothing left to play for. Offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo has been quietly stating to show a better feel for things in that he’s not trying to force-feed the running game, which just was not very good of late. Perry Fewell’s unit continues to be streaky and that’s just as much on him and his assistants as it is on the players.