With nearly the same force he brought to a recent fight in practice, Dexter Lawrence rejected the phrasing of a question about the Giants not reaching the playoffs over the first three years of his career. 

“Yet,” Lawrence said after practice Tuesday. “It hasn’t happened yet.” 

Lawrence’s tone raised another question: Why such a strong emphasis on that one word? 

“Because that’s the goal,” Lawrence said. “You can’t sit on what happened years prior. You’ve got to go for what you’re shooting for now. Everybody’s goal is to make it to the postseason. If everybody has the same goal, we’re all going to have the same work ethic to try to get there.” 

The Giants are 14-35 since Lawrence — a first-round pick — and other members of the 2019 draft class arrived, they’re 22-59 (tied with the Jets for worst) since 2017 and they’re 61-100 with one playoff appearance (a loss) since 2012. 

Most preseason forecasts expect the misery to continue in the short-term as the first-year tandem of general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll lay the groundwork for a better future. 

So, when Lawrence opened his mouth, it almost warranted a Jim Mora-like response: “Playoffs? … You kidding me? Playoffs?” 

“It is a realistic goal,” Lawrence said. “It’s everybody’s goal.” 

Anyone who wants to challenge Lawrence’s logic should be aware of what happened when he tussled during practice last week with offensive guard Shane Lemieux. Fellow defensive tackle Leonard Williams intervened and body-slammed Lemieux. 

“I didn’t start it, I finished it,” Lawrence said with a laugh. “I guess, somehow, [Lemieux] ended up on the ground and he thought it was me. That’s how it happened. We just squashed it [afterward]. We have lockers right next to each other, so it was nothing.” 

The 342-pound Lawrence’s strength also has been on display in 1-on-1 drills, where he is routinely winning with his power move. 

“That’s what I do,” Lawrence boldly declared. 

Whether he is leaving linebackers in the dust on routes or bouncing carries to the outside, Saquon Barkley looks more like his old self on the practice field than he did at any point last season — including before an ankle sprain further complicated his return from ACL surgery. 

“Yeah, he looks explosive,” coach Brian Daboll said. “He hit one [Monday] and got out into the open field. I don’t know what his GPS numbers were, but it was high. … He was moving pretty good. He’s quick. He’s strong. He looks good to me.” 

Defensive line coach Andre Patterson is away from the team as he deals with a medical issue, The Post confirmed. He is expected to return when ready, but assistant Bryan Cox is in charge of arguably the Giants’ best position group until then. 

Center Jon Feliciano (heat exhaustion) returned to the field with trainers, but missed a fourth straight practice. Ben Bredeson was the latest fill-in as the starting center, following turns for Jamil Douglas and Shane Lemieux (with Josh Ezeudu replacing Lemieux as the starting left guard) in recent days.