QB Matt Gutierrez, being sacked by the Ravens’ Nick Greisen, impressed last week.

The Journal / Bob Breidenbach

For the fourth straight season, the New England Patriots and New York Giants will close out their exhibition schedules by facing each other.

Tonight’s game at Giants Stadium is the 18th time the teams have met during the exhibition season, which is the same number of times the Patriots have faced the Philadelphia Eagles in the exhibition season and New England’s second-most-frequent preseason opponent. The Pats have faced another NFC East team, the Washington Redskins, 19 times.

With the latest Pats-Giants meetings coming at the end of the preseason, however, fans are treated to what amounts to a last tryout for many second- and third-string players.

Though he said on the radio this week that he wanted to get a few snaps in against New York, the chances of Tom Brady being on the field are slim. Aside from it being unnecessary for him to get on the field before the Sept. 7 season-opener, Brady may still be in California tending to what he called personal business.

It also seems unlikely that Giants quarterback Eli Manning will play; traditionally, the final exhibition game is all about the players who still are trying to make the roster, not those whose spots are set.

Last year, New England’s top players took the field for warmups, but were on the sidelines once the game started.

So what is there to look for tonight? Here are a few ideas:

•The QB competition. Yes, again. Against the Eagles, Matt Gutierrez made a convincing argument that he, not Matt Cassel, should be Brady’s primary backup this season. While Gutierrez did not face Philadelphia’s top defensive players, he wasn’t playing with the Pats’ best offensive players, either, yet went 14-for-20 for 217 yards passing, leading New England to two touchdowns in three possessions. Cassel did have the Patriots’ best weapons at his disposal and went 8-for-14 for 60 yards and three sacks. In 15 preseason drives, he has yet to lead the team to a touchdown. Kevin O’Connell did not play against the Eagles, but expect to see a large dose of the rookie tonight.

•LaMont Jordan. Will he play? The training camp signee has not played since the first preseason game, against Baltimore, but was efficient, picking up 76 yards on 19 carries and scoring the Pats’ only touchdown. He has missed some recent practice time with an undisclosed injury. But after missing offseason team activities during a prolonged dispute with the Raiders, he could probably use the snaps. Head coach Bill Belichick has seemingly indicated that he will keep five running backs heading into the season, so Jordan’s job would appear to be safe.

•Chris Hanson. With punters — much like offensive linemen — it’s always best when you’re not taking notice of them. But Hanson drew Belichick’s ire against the Eagles when the punt Belichick wanted to be directed out of bounds wasn’t, and ended up being returned for a touchdown. Hanson won his job early as the Patriots cut the two other punters they had signed during the preseason.

•Matthew Slater. The rookie who impressed with his kickoff-return speed and vision during training camp has been just as solid during games. Special teams can’t be played at half-speed, so if Slater, a fifth-round pick from UCLA, is doing well now, he’ll likely continue to do so if he gets the kickoff duties in the regular season. He’s averaging a team-high 25.7 yards on nine returns. While Ellis Hobbs averaged 26 yards per return last year, he’s coming off two surgeries, and keeping him fresh to play defense might be preferable, opening the door for Slater.

•C.J. Jones. The receiver looked good on the other end of Gutierrez’s passes last week, and needs to hope that his performances have earned him a spot on the 53-man roster as he’s out of practice-squad eligibility. However, even if he doesn’t stick with New England, he may have played well enough this preseason — thanks to some tips from Randy Moss — to earn him a spot somewhere else.

•The scoreboard. As in, can the Patriots win? In the long run, it likely won’t matter if New England wins a preseason game if it gets it all together during the regular season. But the Pats have gone 0-for-the-preseason only six times in their history, and not since 1990. During their three Super Bowl-winning seasons, they were a combined 8-4 in exhibition games. And for the reserves who take the field, the feeling of victory in an NFL game — even a relatively meaningless one — would be a great feeling to end a strenuous month-plus of training camp.

smanza@projo.com