Bill Belichick. (AP)

Patriots coach Bill Belichick told New York’s WFAN Radio Thursday afternoon the New England starters are going to play in Thursday night’s preseason finale.

The fourth and final preseason game is usually the exclusive domain of the backups and other players who might be on the bubble before final cuts are made over the weekend. But in the wake of an uneven performance against St. Louis this week, that thinking may have changed according to Tom Brady. Brady said Belichick ripped into his team pretty good in the wake of the postgame film session.

“I think we’re all playing,” Brady told WEEI on Monday when he was asked about the starters. “[Belichick] told everybody, ‘Get ready to play.’”

It’s not known which starters will play and how many snaps they will see, but seeing some of the Patriots’ starters on the field for the preseason finale wouldn’t be unprecedented. In 2003, Brady and New England’s starting offense got the call in the fourth preseason game and played just over one quarter, finishing 8-for-10 for 63 yards and a touchdown against the Bears.

“I tell everybody to be ready to play every week — that’s what we do,” Belichick said earlier this week when asked about the possibility of the starters playing on Thursday. “Coaches control playing time, but players should be ready to play every week regardless of the score, situation, field conditions, or anything else. That’s their job. That’s their responsibility. That’s what it is every week. And that’s not going to change.”