By Tony Moss, NFL Editor -- (Sports Network) - The uniforms will be the same when the New York Giants host the New England Patriots on Thursday night, but the intensity and import of their head-to-head matchup in Super Bowl XLII won't be anywhere in the vicinity of Giants Stadium.

Thursday night's tilt between the reigning AFC and NFC champs comes on the fourth week of the preseason, typically the least meaningful of the four exhibition weeks.

New England has already taken a highly precautionary approach to player personnel in the preseason, with quarterback Tom Brady (foot) the most notable absence from the club's three warm-ups.

New York, meanwhile, saw its nightmare scenario play out last Saturday when Pro Bowl defensive end Osi Umenyiora was lost for the year with a knee injury, meaning Tom Coughlin probably won't put a great number of players at risk either.

So, no one should expect a comparable encore to the teams' two memorable matchups from last season. Five weeks after the Patriots preserved their perfect regular season by coming from behind to beat the Giants (38-35) in Week 17, New York did the unthinkable by knocking New England from its perfect pedestal (17-14) in the Super Bowl in Arizona.

New England's biggest motivation on Thursday will be trying to avoid its first winless preseason since 1990, when the team lost all four of its tune-ups before plodding to a 1-15 regular season finish under head coach Rod Rust.

With Brady unlikely to play, backups Matt Cassel, Matt Gutierrez, and Kevin O'Connell will again try to earn their way onto the depth chart. Gutierrez, who has completed 24-of-36 passes for 293 yards with two touchdowns and an interception during the preseason to date, has been the sharpest of the three players during the month of August.

With Giants quarterback Eli Manning not slated for extensive action either, David Carr and Anthony Wright will continue to vie for backup duties on Thursday night. Carr (19-of-29, 175 yards, 1 TD) has been the better of the two QBs during the preseason, and thanks to a back injury that has plagued Wright, could wrap up the No. 2 job with a strong performance against the Patriots. Rookie Andre' Woodson, expected by most to make the team as a third- stringer, could see time as well.

The Patriots will open their regular season on Sept. 7th with a home date against Kansas City, while the Giants begin their title defense next Thursday when they host the division rival Washington Redskins.

The Giants hold a 11-6 lead in the all-time preseason series with the Patriots, but were 27-20 road losers when the clubs faced off prior to last season.