Patriots vs. Giants: 5 Things to Watch for During the Preseason Finale

The New England will conclude their preseason Thursday night against the New York Giants. 

Thursday night's game will be an interesting one, especially because the Giants did just play their third exhibition game only three days prior against the New York Jets.

There are many questions regarding New England heading into the 2011 regular season, and some of them could be answered Thursday night at Gillette Stadium. 

Here are five things to watch for in the team's preseason finale against the Giants. 

How Much the Starters Play, If They Even Play at All

Traditionally, the third game of the preseason is the one where you'll see the starters get most of their work done, as teams treat it as a regular season game. Meanwhile, the fourth and final preseason game is when the rookies and the guys on the roster bubble will get their chances to shine. 

Keep in mind that New England does have a long layoff following Thursday night's game, as they'll have 11 days until their first regular-season game, Monday night against the Miami Dolphins.

There is certainly a chance that the starters will see the field a little bit, as the team did have both of their offensive and defensive starters play just one drive in last season's preseason finale. 

If Bill Belichick wants to enter 2011 on a good note, there's a a chance that the starters will play—especially after their lousy performance against the Lions just a week ago. 

How Well Ryan Mallett Plays

Ryan Mallett is second among all NFL rookies with a solid 80.1 quarterback rating thus far throughout the preseason. Mallett has been able complete 30 of his 47 passes while accumulating 300 yards and throwing one touchdown and just one interception.

Mallett is definitely an interesting player on New England's roster. It's almost guaranteed that he'll make the team, as he was one of the team's third-round selections in this year's draft and has played the best out of all the rookie quarterbacks. 

As it's the fourth week of the preseason, I am expecting to see a nice heavy dose of the rookie out of Arkansas. 

If the Patriots Will Throw the Ball Outside More

Most of New England's passes have been thrown to tight ends and slot receivers that are running inside the numbers, and there haven't been too many targets to receivers like Chad Ochocinco, Deion Branch, Taylor Price and Brandon Tate.

If New England wants to be a dominant force in 2011, they're definitely going to have to attack the outside and get the ball to Branch and Ochocinco—in fact, Branch has yet to catch a pass this preseason. 

If Brandon Spikes Will Play

After missing the last two preseason games for New England, Brandon Spikes has returned to the practice field this past Wednesday and should figure to see some playing time against the Giants this Thursday.

Spikes is projected to be one of New England's starting linebackers in their 4-3 defensive attack, and it's critical for him to get the right amount of reps in a real game-like situation. 

Will Albert Haynesworth Play at All?

Albert Haynesworth has been practicing with the team as of late, but has yet to play in any of the team's first three preseason games.

Haynesworth is projected to be a key part in New England's 4-3 alignment, as he'll pair up with Vince Wilfork on the inside of the defensive line to create one of the league's largest defensive tackle tandems. 

For a guy who's struggling to stay in shape, it's vital that he proves to the coaches that he's able to play in a game-like situation—which is a perfect reason to play him Thursday night against the Giants.