Pats QB Tom Brady was on the bench during the Ravens game on Aug. 7. He might be there Thursday, too.

The Providence Journal / Ruben W. Perez

FOXBORO — Will Tom Brady play in New England’s final exhibition game, Thursday night against the New York Giants?

It is the question of the week.

Inquiring minds want to know.

Will the reigning NFL Most Valuable Player take the field for a tune-up appearance before the Patriots begin the regular season?

Will the man who set the NFL record for most touchdown passes in a season (50), highest touchdown-interception differential (+42), most games with three or more touchdown passes (12), most touchdown passes in a month (20 in October), and highest completion percentage in a game (92.9 percent on Jan. 12, versus Jacksonville) last season be healthy enough to face the team that sacked him a whopping five times in Super Bowl XLII?

Or will the Patriots franchise quarterback enter the regular season without preseason action against another NFL team?

So far, Patriots coach Bill Belichick is being tight-lipped.

“For Tom, if we decide to play him, then that will be an opportunity for him, and if we don’t decide to play him or he can’t play or whatever it is, then it will be an opportunity for someone else,” Belichick said.

Brady said he expected to play in the Pats’ second exhibition game, against Tampa Bay, but he told the Patriots coaching staff that he had a sore right foot, so he didn’t make the trip to Tampa.

He missed Friday’s game against Philadelphia apparently as a precautionary measure, and there has been no word yet if he will suit up Thursday.

Belichick said he expected backups Matt Cassel, Matt Gutierrez, and especially Kevin O’Connell, who sat out Friday’s game, to see some action against the Giants.

“If certain players don’t play, then the other players at that position get more of an opportunity to play — whatever spot that is,” Belichick said. “That is something that Matt Cassel, Gutierrez, and Kevin — I think all look for that opportunity to play their position, get a chance to perform, contribute and show what they can do.

Last “Friday night, we saw a little over a half with Cassel and less than a half with Gutierrez. I am sure [this] week against the Giants we will see Kevin get a chance to play some and we will figure out what the rest of the playing time is — based on everyone’s availability and so forth.”

In the opportunities that the three backup quarterbacks have been given, Gutierrez has made the most of them — more so than Cassel and O’Connell.

After Gutierrez completed 10 of 16 passes for 76 yards and an interception against Baltimore in the Patriots exhibition opener, he sat out of the Pats’ second exhibition game.

He returned to action last Friday against Philadelphia and had a sensational outing, completing 14 of 20 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions for a 139.0 quarterback rating.

“I thought Matt did a good job leading the team with the opportunities he had,” Belichick said.

WHILE HE WAS happy with his performance, Gutierrez was disappointed with the loss and didn’t want to talk about what he did individually.

“That’s my responsibility, to try to stay calm and recognize what they are doing and run our offense,” said Gutierrez, who has a 98.5 quarterback rating so far this preseason but has yet to face a team’s top defense. “At times we did a decent job. At other times we didn’t. We strung some plays together, but the drives still weren’t perfect. There is still a lot of room for improvement. We came up short on points, so whatever job we did, it still wasn’t enough.”

Cassel, who has played against opposing teams’ top defenses, has completed 15 of 28 passes for 128 yards with no touchdowns and one interception for a 50.9 quarterback rating in his three outings this season.

O’Connell has connected on 12 of his 28 passes for 118 yards with two interceptions and no touchdowns for a 25.6 quarterback rating in two outings.

NEW ENGLAND’S offense, playing with a patchwork offensive line, has been stagnant for much of the preseason, but if Brady returns Thursday, Patriot Nation is hoping that will change.

Life without Brady has been difficult so far for the Pats, who are 0-3, but the Patriots are trying to win without him just in case the man who has never missed a start when it counts has to be sidelined this season.

“You always want your leader out there, but what if he’s not out there Week Seven?” Patriots running back Heath Evans asked. “We are the Patriots. We have to find a way to win.”

Said Patriots running back Sammy Morris, “It may come out where we may have to be without Tom, so it’s up to whoever is in there to execute.”

Of course, the Patriots hope that day will never come, but it will help to be prepared if it ever does.

roblee@projo.com