Not long after the Giants put the finishing touches on an easy 31-7 rout of the Redskins, but before Tom Coughlin in the victorious postgame locker room was finished lauding his team, there was a “don’t forget” warning that the Giants probably didn’t need to be reminded of.

Coughlin said he wanted to make sure his club had “a very good recollection” of what went down in last year’s season finale in Minnesota, a 44-7 thrashing to the Vikings that wasn’t even that close.

BACK PAGE: HAVE TO ROOT FOR COWBOYS

“Let’s just say we haven’t forgotten what happened there,” guard Chris Snee said. “I’ll just leave it at that. We know what the final score was. It’s already been talked about.”

Having replaced a two-game losing streak with a tidy two-game winning streak, the Giants (8-4) ride into Sunday’s game in Minneapolis knowing there’s no margin for error in an increasingly jumbled and crowded NFC playoff field. The Vikings (5-7) aren’t in the mix and they are once again dealing with the infamous Brett Favre streak, as his latest malady is a sprained right shoulder joint that could (but probably won’t) end his consecutive-game starting run at 297 games.

Favre was on the scene and closing out a splendid first season with the Vikings when he fired four touchdown passes in last year’s demolition of the dispirited Giants, who barely showed up inside Mall of America Field. The Vikings scored on eight of their first nine possessions, held the Giants to 35 rushing yards, 11 first downs, led 31-0 at halftime and 44-0 after three quarters. That disgrace, on the heels of a Giants Stadium-closing 41-9 loss to the Panthers a week earlier, prompted co-owner John Mara to lash out, claiming he was “Probably as disappointed as I’ve ever been in my life at this team.”

It’s something to consider as the Giants return to Minneapolis and the scene of the crime.

“All we’re concerned about is the way we play and what we showed on that field is not indicative of the team we are,” Snee said. “That’s not the reputation we have had over the years of a team that’s going to play four quarters. Most guys were embarrassed by that performance, me included. Never want to have that feeling again.”

The feeling nowadays is one of weekly demands. At one time, a 10-6 record seemed as if it would be a lock to qualify for the playoffs in the NFC but that is no longer the case. The Giants, Eagles and Packers are all 8-4 and one of them will likely miss out on the post-season. The Packers are a game behind the Bears (9-3) in the NFC North and at the moment the Saints (9-3) are in the driver’s seat for the first wild card berth, trailing the Falcons (10-2) by one game in the NFC South.

“This NFC took a lot of criticism saying that the conference was mediocre, but it seems like a lot of teams are playing well,” defensive tackle Barry Cofield said.

It will be the Giants or Eagles winning the NFC East and the team that finishes second could be on the outside looking in come playoff time. Given that the Eagles are technically in first because they beat the Giants two weeks ago, the Giants and Packers are tied for the final wild card spot, with the Giants (6-2) ahead of the Packers (6-3) in the conference-record tiebreaker.

“We’re just trying to keep up with everyone else,” Snee said. “You look at the score and you think New Orleans is going to lose and they come back and win. Green Bay had a huge second half, they win. Chicago wins. Not to mention most importantly, Philadelphia wins. Just trying to keep up.”

That means there is no room for even one slipup.

“It’s exciting, actually,” Snee said. “When you get down to these games that are crucial you’re challenged to play your best and that’s when the true competitors step forward and I think we’re loaded with those on this team. I’m really looking forward to what we can do here down the stretch.”

paul.schwartz@nypost.com

