For once — just once — I'd like to see Josh Boyce get some yards after the catch.

I was kind of hoping that a Jeremy Gallon punt return would be electrifying. Haven't seen anything from him yet.

Kind of interesting to see Eli Manning and Victor Cruz on the field with quite a few of the Patriots' scrubs.

Nice throw on the run. Look, that's exactly what Jimmy G can do and Mallett cannot.

Josh Kline back out at left guard.

James Morris with a false start. Not good for him. Still trying to make this team.

Two days of practice and Tim Wright is out there. That's amazing to me. Absolutely amazing.

Patriots starting offensive line in warmups:
LT Jordan Devey
LG Josh Kline
C Bryan Stork
RG Chris Barker
RT Cameron Fleming

No Logan Mankins, Brady not playing, Mayo not dressed. Apparently McCourty not playing either.

Bryan Stork is suited up as expected. Will likely get the start tonight at center if Dan Connolly and Ryan Wendell are rested. Both dressed.

Tom Brady did suit up. But it's just for show.

Via Erik Frenz:

Who says the preseason finale doesn't matter?
It matters a great deal for Patriots wide receiver Aaron Dobson, because he is expected to suit up tonight against the New York Giants for the fourth and final preseason game, according to Jeff Howe of The Boston Herald.

Clearly Thursday's Patriots game against the New York Giants is of little significance to the vast majority of the team.

In the final tuneup, for instance, Jimmy Garoppolo will get the start at quarterback while Tom Brady rests for the team's Week 1 opener against the Miami Dolphins. But despite the insignificance of this particular exhibition matchup, there are jobs on the line. The Patriots will cut 22 players by Saturday. There are also questions that need to be answered about how the team will operate in the trenches. Let's examine them briefly here.

1. What's the interior line look like? — In the projected depth chart for the Patriots, given the movements we've already seen this preseason, it appears a combination of Jordan Devey, Josh Kline, and Marcus Cannon will fill in at the left and right guard spots. Based upon opportunities already, it would not be surprising to see Devey at left guard and Kline at right guard to start. But Cannon, who was competing with Dan Connolly for the right guard starting position last camp, could easily fill in at that position now along with Devey at left guard. (Connolly has apparently taken the center duties away from Ryan Wendell.) We'll get either confirmation or clarification of these key positions in Thursday's game.

2. Time to sort out the defensive line, too — It's not all clear and rosy on the defensive line, either. After dropping Tommy Kelly and Will Smith, the hierarchy of the defensive linemen has become a little more muddied, particularly with injuries to Sealver Siliga (hand) and Chris Jones (leg). Siliga practiced this week, which is a good sign. He'll certainly have a place in the starting rotation when he returns. But for the time being, who will fill in next to Vince Wilfork in the 3-4 alignment? In my projected depth chart for Thursday's game, I have Chandler Jones back with his hands in the grass as linebackers Jerod Mayo and Dont'a Hightower return. Joe Vellano will continue to operate as the other 3-4 defensive end. But the health of some of these players, as well as the backups for all of them, will be a little more clear after Thursday's game.

3. The end of the line? — Safety Tavon Wilson and defensive end Jake Bequette may be suiting up for the last time as Patriots Thursday. Wilson, a 2012 second round pick, is still seemingly fighting for a job as the safety alongside Devin McCourty. His competition has been stiff with Duron Harmon and Patrick Chung leading the way. (Chung, it appears, has won the starting spot in the team's base defense.) For Bequette, a 2012 third round draft pick, things look a lot more slim. He's never really found a role in the team's defense despite practicing as both a 4-3 end and a 3-4 outside linebacker. Michael Buchanan, a 2013 seventh round draft choice, has continually outplayed him in both regards until Bequette had a fairly competitive camp. But that may not be enough to save him. These two will both be playing this game for keeps.

4. How much will Ryan Mallett play? — The Patriots' alleged second-string quarterback played all of one series last week against the Carolina Panthers while Brady and Garoppolo got the lion's share of reps. The amount of reps Mallett receives, as well as the fact that he has come in games after Garoppolo, has led to some generous interpretations of Mallett's fate in New England. Those interpretations can certainly be amplified Thursday night. Unfortunately, they will not be silenced until Saturday's 53-man roster cut deadline. Or if he is ever traded.

5. Who will play, who won't? — It's the final game of the preseason, so there's not much incentive to risk star players in what is already a long offseason. This is also the Giants' fifth preseason game, which won't say much for the competition we're going to see on the field. (It's never been about that, but still.) Brady is out, that's for sure. But who else is? Again, jobs are on the line and the kicking game will be important to determining quite a bit of that. So we'll focus on that and see if we can interpret who plays into those competitions and who doesn't. Hopefully in the end we'll be able to deliver some meaning on what will have unfolded before our eyes.