EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- It’s simple math. Eight wins, a non-losing season and being on the verge of a postseason berth with this roster is a successful season for the New York Giants.

It almost doesn’t matter how these last few weeks play out. This is a franchise that entered 2022 with five straight double-digit losing seasons and a 4-13 record last season. It hit that number before the end of October in Brian Daboll’s first year as coach. Ten or 11 wins is still a possibility after just 22 in the previous five seasons combined.

“There have been a lot of ups and downs throughout the past couple years,” said running back Saquon Barkley, who is in his fifth season with the Giants. “What does it really mean? We gave ourselves a better chance to accomplish our goal.”

The Giants now have a 91% chance to end their five-year postseason drought, per ESPN analytics. They can get there Saturday afternoon with a win in Minnesota -- and some help from the San Francisco 49ers, Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs.

“To be completely honest, that was the goal from the jump,” Barkley said. “That is every team’s goal when you start the season -- to make it to the playoffs.

“You want to put yourself in a situation to do that. And we did that. We’ve got a tough stretch [ahead of us]. We just have to find a way to win games. Whatever way it is. Whether it’s by 30, by two or three or comes down to the last play of the game, we just have to find ways and continue to believe in each other, trust the system and let it rip.”

This was always supposed to be about resetting the culture and developing the program under Daboll and first-year general manager Joe Schoen. Learn their ways, assess the roster and move forward from there.

Even the architects doubted the Giants (8-5-1) would have success in Year 1. Schoen spoke before the season as if this would be a team that was likely to take its lumps. His roster was -- and remains -- a work in progress.

Schoen had his hands tied in the offseason. The Giants were tight against the salary cap, needed to shed $40 million in cap space and he wasn’t able to upgrade the roster like he ideally wanted.

“Could we have done better? Yeah, if we had $40 million in cap space,” Schoen said this summer. “With what we had, I think we executed a plan. We were able to upgrade the roster with the resources we had.”

It was an accomplishment this past week for the Giants to clinch a non-losing season for the first time since 2016. The worst they can do is 8-8-1 if they lose this Saturday in Minnesota and drop their final two games (vs. the Indianapolis Colts and at the Philadelphia Eagles) as well.

This Giants team has finally tasted what it’s like to win. This is the first year in the careers of players such as Barkley, quarterback Daniel Jones, safety Julian Love and defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence that they’ve had a winning record at any point of the season. They’ve played in meaningful December games, and gained invaluable experience in playoff-like atmospheres.

It provides a foundation for future success.

“This season, where we are at right now, there is a lot to build off,” said Love, a captain and the current defensive signal-caller. “For the future, I think it looks bright. We have the right people to win and will continue to bring people in here.

“But our core is solid. You [saw] guys making plays [on Sunday against the Washington Commanders] that are the future of this franchise. Guys like Saquon Barkley. Guys like Kayvon Thibodeaux. Dexter Lawrence has been balling all season. Stuff like that. Daniel Jones had a hell of a day. That’s special. That is the core. That is something other successful teams have had and we’re getting to. Guys are just playing their ass off.”

This season has allowed Daboll and Schoen to take stock of what they have in the building, from the roster to the front office to the way they handle day-to-day operations. They’ve also had the opportunity to recognize the building blocks.

Not that Daboll is willing to allow himself, even for a second, to think that way.

“Doesn’t mean anything right now,” he said after Sunday’s win. “I’m just happy we won this game. Just get ready to play Minnesota.”