The ninth-placed Bulldogs boast a 10-8 record, but such is the fierce battle for top-eight spots, Beveridge's troops may need to win their remaining five games just to sneak into the finals.
That bid will start on Friday night when they take on injury-hit Essendon (6-11) at Marvel Stadium.
Games against GWS (Marvel), Melbourne (MCG), West Coast (Marvel) and Fremantle (Marvel) round out the Dogs' home-and-away campaign.
They have been the standout attacking team this season, averaging a league-high 105 points per game.
But they are ranked 10th defensively, giving up on average 82.4 points per game.
Beveridge paused and had a little chuckle when asked if there was enough time left this year to fix his team's defence.
"Sometimes little history lessons are important," Beveridge said.
"If I asked you who was the best defensive team on aggregate - conceding the least amount of points - leading into the last finals series, do you know who it was?
"It was us. Has our philosophy and my philosophy … changed? Absolutely not. The execution of it is the responsibility of all of us.
"Against the more high achieving teams this year, they've been able to score too heavily.
"We know we can improve. We weren't the best offensive team last year, but we are this year. So that's encouraging. But you always seek a really healthy blend."
Essendon welcome back Nate Caddy and ruckman Todd Goldstein, while the Bulldogs dropped veteran defender Liam Jones in favour of Jedd Busslinger.
Beveridge isn't a fan of looking too far ahead, but knows each game for the next five weeks is effectively an elimination final.
"It's real. They're the facts," Beveridge said.
"When you get a bit closer to (finals), the mathematics kick in.
"We've got to make sure we tap into our authentic selves and who we can be as a team without worrying too much about what can happen in five weeks.
"But we know the reality and it hangs over the top."
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