1. The next one counts.
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For the 11th consecutive year, the New York Giants and New England Patriots will end the preseason against one another when they meet on Thursday night at Gillette Stadium.
After that? Big Blue has just 10 days until lining up against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1 at AT&T Stadium.
2. Starters will play.
While on a pitch count, coach Tom Coughlin said his starters will play "very little" in the preseason finale.
In three preseason games, Eli Manning is 20 of 38 for 159 yards with no touchdowns and one interception that was returned for a touchdown last week against the Jets.
3. First round of roster moves.
In advance of Tuesday's NFL deadline for teams to reduce their rosters to 75 players, the Giants made 14 roster moves. Offensive tackle Will Beatty (torn pectoral muscle) was placed on the reserve/physically unable to perform list. Defensive backs Josh Gordy (hip) and Bennett Jackson (knee) were placed on injured reserve. Offensive lineman Brandon Mosley and running back Akeem Hunt were waived/injured. The following were waived: OL Michael Bamiro, WR Juron Criner, DB Justin Halley, OL Eric Herman, WR Derrick Johnson, P Robert Malone, DE Jordan Stanton, DT Jimmy Staten and TE Will Tye.
*4. Roster goes to 53 on Saturday. *
Photos of the Giants 2015 official roster
CB Prince Amukamara
DE Robert Ayers Jr.
DE BRAD BARS
LT Will Beatty
LB Jon Beason
WR Odell Beckham Jr.
Safety Nat Berhe
DT Jay Bromley
CB Chykie Brown
K Josh Brown
SAFETY STEVIE BROWN
KICKER CHRIS BOSWELL
LB Jonathan Casillas
OL Emmett Cleary
Safety Landon Collins
DB C.J. CONWAY
WR Victor Cruz
TE Jerome Cunnigham
RB Orleans Darkwa
WR Geremy Davis
LS Zak DeOssie
TE Larry Donnell
OL Sean Donnelly
DT Kenrick Ellis
LB Cole Farrand
TE Daniel Fells
CB Chandler Fenner
OL Ereck Flowers
OL Adam Gettis
DT Dominique Hamilton
DT Johnathan Hankins
RB Kenneth Harper
WR/KR Dwayne Harris
CB Mike Harris
OL Bobby Hart
LB Mark Herzlich
CB Jayron Hosley
FB Henry Hynoski
DE/DT Cullen Jenkins
RB Rashad Jennings
John Jerry, Offensive Lineman RE-SIGNED WITH GIANTS
OL Brett Jones
WR JAMES JONES
LB Devon Kennard
DT Markus Kuhn
QB Eli Manning
CB Trumaine McBride
LB Jameel McClain
SAFETY BRANDON MERIWEATHER
SAFETY JEROMY MILES
DE Damontre Moore
QB Ryan Nassib
OT Marshall Newhouse
DE Owa Odighizuwa
LB ASHLEE PALMER
WR PRESTON PARKER
DE Jason Pierre-Paul (Reserve/Franchise Player)
RT Justin Pugh
WR Rueben Randle
OL Dallas Reynolds
OL Weston Richburg
TE Adrien Robinson
CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
OL Geoff Schwartz
DE George Selvie
QB Ricky Stanzi
WR Julian Talley
Safety Cooper Taylor
LB J.T. Thomas III
LB Devin Unga
RB Shane Vereen
DB Trevin Wade
WR Corey Washington
Punter Brad Wing
FB Nikita Whitlock
RB Andre Williams
DE Kerry Wynn
Thursday night is the last opportunity for players to make an impression in live action before clubs must reduce their rosters to a maximum of 53 players by 4 p.m. on Saturday. Teams can establish a practice squad of 10 players the following day.
5. Who's playing? Who's not?
Coughlin confirmed this week that Victor Cruz will not play in New England as the wide receiver continues to deal with a calf issue. Preseason or otherwise, Cruz has not played in a game since last October when he suffered a season-ending knee injury. Meanwhile, linebacker Jon Beason (knee), defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins (hamstring), safety Jeromy Miles (groin), and cornerbacks Chykie Brown (knee) and Chandler Fenner (hamstring) did not practice leading up to Thursday. Rookie offensive lineman Bobby Hart, however, did return to the practice field after suffering a knee injury against the Jets.
6. Stevie is back.
Keep an eye on these five players as the Giants face the Patriots on Thursday
![SAFETY STEVIE BROWN
The New York Giants brought back Stevie Brown this week to bolster their safety position that has suffered a string of injuries over the summer. Brown, who set a Giants record with 307 interception return yards in 2012, had been with the Houston Texans since May but was released last weekend. Now that he's back, Brown jumped right into practice this week at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center and even grabbed an interception on Tuesday leading up to the preseason finale in New England.
"I'm looking for him to play," coach Tom Coughlin said. "I'd like to see the Stevie Brown we had the year he had [eight] interceptions or whatever that was. That's what I'd like to see and that's what we're trying to get a feel for—where he is with his game and just see him play. Just put him in that position and see what happens."](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/private/t_new_photo_album_2x/f_auto/giants/fzfv0abg0xlxz5rbskot.jpg)
SAFETY STEVIE BROWN The New York Giants brought back Stevie Brown this week to bolster their safety position that has suffered a string of injuries over the summer. Brown, who set a Giants record with 307 interception return yards in 2012, had been with the Houston Texans since May but was released last weekend. Now that he's back, Brown jumped right into practice this week at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center and even grabbed an interception on Tuesday leading up to the preseason finale in New England. "I'm looking for him to play," coach Tom Coughlin said. "I'd like to see the Stevie Brown we had the year he had [eight] interceptions or whatever that was. That's what I'd like to see and that's what we're trying to get a feel for—where he is with his game and just see him play. Just put him in that position and see what happens."
![SAFETY COOPER TAYLOR
Cooper Taylor notched the Giants' only sack in Saturday's MetLife Bowl against the Jets, making that two for the preseason by the third-year safety. Taylor and his frequent running mate at safety, rookie Landon Collins, drew praise from Coughlin this week.
"I feel better with [Landon] Collins getting some kind of routine going," Coughlin said. "He practiced, he played, and I feel good about that. And, to be honest with you, Cooper Taylor played well the other night. So I'm excited about seeing him this weekend, too. Some of these people that are starters are still going to play a little more. They're going to play more. Some will continue to play in the game for X amount of plays, others will come out. That's going to give us a chance to see a little bit what they can do."](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/private/t_new_photo_album_2x/t_lazy/f_auto/giants/g8mrdq1mnk7euijk50tk.jpg)
SAFETY COOPER TAYLOR Cooper Taylor notched the Giants' only sack in Saturday's MetLife Bowl against the Jets, making that two for the preseason by the third-year safety. Taylor and his frequent running mate at safety, rookie Landon Collins, drew praise from Coughlin this week. "I feel better with [Landon] Collins getting some kind of routine going," Coughlin said. "He practiced, he played, and I feel good about that. And, to be honest with you, Cooper Taylor played well the other night. So I'm excited about seeing him this weekend, too. Some of these people that are starters are still going to play a little more. They're going to play more. Some will continue to play in the game for X amount of plays, others will come out. That's going to give us a chance to see a little bit what they can do."
LB UANI' UNGA Originally signed to the Giants' practice squad at the end of last season, linebacker Uani' Unga is doing all he can to make the 53-man roster, which will be set Saturday by 4 p.m. ET. Last week, Unga led the Giants with eight tackles (five solo), adding up to 17 total tackles (12 solo) so far in three preseason games. "I've kind of put my family in a rough spot," said Unga, who was originally undrafted out of BYU. "I have three kids. I haven't had a job for who knows how long. So we've been going through the struggle. We've had help from my wife's family and my own. That's how we've kind of got through this. I'm just hoping this all works out. Telling my wife since I got hurt that we're just going to be in this no matter how long it takes, I'm trying to get my shot. I finally got in, and hoping it works out for the best."
TE JEROME CUNNINGHAM Spending last season mostly on the practice squad before being added to the active roster in December, tight end Jerome Cunningham is trying to finish strong before the roster cuts are made. He scored his first career touchdown last week on a 6-yard pass from Ryan Nassib in the fourth quarter against the Jets.
![QB ELI MANNING
Probably not sweating out the 53-man roster announcement, quarterback Eli Manning still has some tuning to do with the offense. While it will be brief in the final preseason game against the Patriots -- the starters may last a series or two -- this is the last test of live action until the games start to count on Sept. 13 at AT&T Stadium against the Cowboys.
"Hopefully go out there, obviously work on getting a fast start, haven't [had] that in the preseason," Manning said. "So in this game, we won't have many options—maybe one series or two. So, hopefully, go out there and get something going. Get some first downs, move the ball, get a little rhythm, and then start getting our focus for Dallas."](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/private/t_new_photo_album_2x/t_lazy/f_auto/giants/rghbpwhudbyeq8awtara.jpg)
QB ELI MANNING Probably not sweating out the 53-man roster announcement, quarterback Eli Manning still has some tuning to do with the offense. While it will be brief in the final preseason game against the Patriots -- the starters may last a series or two -- this is the last test of live action until the games start to count on Sept. 13 at AT&T Stadium against the Cowboys. "Hopefully go out there, obviously work on getting a fast start, haven't [had] that in the preseason," Manning said. "So in this game, we won't have many options—maybe one series or two. So, hopefully, go out there and get something going. Get some first downs, move the ball, get a little rhythm, and then start getting our focus for Dallas."
Bolstering a safety group that already has three players who have suffered season-ending injuries and a fourth who underwent surgery, the Giants brought back Stevie Brown this week.
Brown, who played for Big Blue from 2012-2014 and set a franchise record in interception return yards in 2012, signed with the Houston Texans this past May but was released on Saturday.
7. Punt game still a concern.
Last week, the Jets scored on the Giants in all three phases of the game, including a 54-yard punt return. That came against a unit that has allowed four in the last two seasons while half of the NFL did not allow one.
8. Boswell in for Brown.
On Wednesday, the Giants, who had an available spot on the 75-man roster after trimming it to 74 the day before, signed kicker Chris Bowell.
One of the best long-distance kickers in the country while at Rice, Boswell will handle the kicking duties in the preseason finale at New England in place of veteran Josh Brown, who suffered a bruised leg two weeks ago when he made a tackle in the third quarter against Jacksonville.
9. The series.
Playmakers on Patriot's first-team offense, defense, and special teams, presented by Nike
QB TOM BRADY
RB LEGARRETTE BLOUNT
RB DION LEWIS
WR JULIAN EDELMAN
WR DANNY AMENDOLA
TE ROB GRONKOWSKI
WR BRANDON LAFELL
RT SEBASTIAN VOLLMER
RG JOSH KLINE
CENTER DAVID ANDREWS
LG SHAQ MASON
LT MARCUS CANNON
DE ROB NINKOVICH
DT ALAN BRANCH
DT SEALVER SILIGA
DE CHANDLER JONES
LB JAMIE COLLINS
LB JEROD MAYO
LB DONT'A HIGHTOWER
CB MALCOLM BUTLER
SAFETY PATRICK CHUNG
CB LOGAN RYAN
SAFETY DEVIN MCCOURTY
PUNTER RYAN ALLEN
KICKER STEPHEN GOSTKOWSKI
While playing each other in the preseason for the last quarter-century, it's always a special year when the Giants and Patriots meet in the regular season and sometimes beyond. Thursday night will be an appetizer for their meeting in Week 10 at MetLife Stadium. In the regular season, the Patriots lead the series, 5-4. But the Giants are 2-0 against the Patriots in the postseason with the victories coming in Super Bowls XLII and XLVI.
10. Deep connections.
The Giants and Patriots go back a lot further than the unforgettable 2007 season. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was on the Giants' staff for more than a decade, including time as defensive coordinator from 1985-1990 when he won two Super Bowls with the franchise.
Meanwhile, the connections keep going with assistant special teams coach Larry Izzo (three-time Super Bowl champion and a three-time Pro Bowler with the Patriots) and running back Shane Vereen and linebacker Jonathan Casillas, who both won Super Bowl XLIX with the Patriots this past February.
