Schedule: Sept. 3, 7:30 p.m. ET

Stadium: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA

Line: New England (-3)

The fourth week of the NFL preseason is for diehards only. Count me as one of them, because I like watching the competition as players fight for roster spots one day ahead of when teams have to trim their rosters from 75 to 53.

For the New York Giants (1-2) and the New England Patriots (2-1), there won’t be too many starters taking too many snaps when the teams clash at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough.

Another thing to look forward to is a possible resolution to the moronic Deflategate saga led by boneheaded commissioner Roger Goodell. It is unbelievable that this nonsense has been going on for over seven freakin’ months. However, we should all know the outcome of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s appeal by game time, so the Pats will know whether or not they’ll have the future Hall of Famer available for next Thursday’s season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Whether Brady’s available or not could determine if, and/or how, the Patriots use Brady Thursday. If his suspension is upheld, Brady won’t be allowed at New England’s facility beginning Sept. 5, so the Patriots may want to give Brady more reps. If his ridiculous suspension is rightly overturned, Brady likely won’t play more than a series, if at all. Second-string quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo should still see a good amount of action Thursday, as every repetition should bring more confidence in case he has to start meaningful games for the Patriots.

The Giants’ main issues heading into their preseason finale is at safety, where the team has had a rash of injuries to an already uncertain position. To add depth and experience, the Giants brought back Stevie Brown and signed Brandon Meriweather to compete for roles with the team. Both Meriweather and Brown could push for immediate playing time behind projected starters Landon Collins and Cooper Taylor.

On offense, the Giants haven’t been as sharp as they would like, but it still is unlikely we’ll see much of quarterback Eli Manning. The Giants do have three more days than the Pats to prepare for their season opener against the Dallas Cowboys, but risking a fluke injury is never a smart move.

What the Giants and Patriots will look for offensively on Thursday night is improvement along their offensive lines. Both teams have struggled to move defenders off the ball this preseason, and have put their offenses in too many must-pass situations. Both teams are likely to expect key contributions from young linemen, so I would expect them all to get additional work on Thursday.

The Giants have invested three high draft picks over the past three seasons in developing their offensive line. Guard Justin Pugh (1^st round in 2013), center Weston Richburg (2^nd in 2014) and tackle Ereck Flowers (1^st in 2015) need to get as much work together as possible, as they will protect Manning’s blind side.

For the Patriots, their middle could consist of two rookies and a second-year player, as rookie guards Tre’ Jackson and Shaq Mason have seen plenty of action with the first team. The Patriots also could use center Bryan Stork, who has missed the majority of the preseason with an injury.

The Pats made an interesting move Tuesday, acquiring return specialist Jalen Saunders from the New Orleans Saints for a conditional draft pick. That move could spell trouble for rookie free agent Chris Harper, who has played very well this preseason and currently is placed squarely on the roster bubble.

Another New England battle to watch for is at defensive end, where the team has an embarrassment of riches. The Patriots have roster locks in Chandler Jones, Jabaal Sheard and Rob Ninkovich. Rookie Trey Flowers has performed very well when healthy and appears to have also locked down a spot. The Patriots will likely keep five defensive ends, so that leaves just one position left. The battle for that very spot is between Rufus Johnson and rookie Geneo Grissom.

Johnson has greatly outperformed Grissom throughout the preseason, and has been one of the best defensive players on the field when given the opportunity. However, will the Patriots reward Johnson for his performance, or will they find it difficult to cut Grissom, who they invested a third-round selection in?

The score of this game doesn’t matter, but the real winners or losers will be those who play well enough to earn roster spots.