Tom Brady wary of improved Colts defense

FOXBOROUGH – Even though the Patriots have had their way against the Colts the last three times they’ve played – scoring 59, 43, and 42 points – Tom Brady cautioned against overlooking the Indianapolis defense.

The Colts have won seven of eight games since losing to the Patriots in Week 11, 42-20. They’re allowing 17.3 points per game over that span, a number that would be much lower if not for a 42-7 loss at Dallas in Week 16. In their last three games, the Colts have allowed 10, 10, and 13 points. Two of those came in playoff wins against the Bengals and Broncos.

“They’ve done a number on a lot of teams this year. They have a good rush, they’ve got a couple good edge guys, really athletic linebackers, and one of their corners [Vontae Davis] is in the Pro Bowl,” Brady said on Thursday, before the Patriots practiced inside Gillette Stadium. “Two experienced players in the secondary, Mike Adams had a great game against us last time, [Greg] Toler’s had a great year, really an underrated player in my estimation.

“They challenge you at all levels, I think that’s the important thing. Nothing’s easy. They want to get up in your face and make you make the plays, so that’s what we have to be ready to do, we have to be ready for that type of challenge. Hopefully we can go out there and execute against it, but they make it tough on you.”

With the AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium for the fifth time, Brady is hoping the home crowd can lend a hand. Multiple players have noted how loud the crowd was in last week’s win over Baltimore.

“We do have such a great home crowd. When they’re into it, and that blow horn’s going off, and we’re scoring, making plays, it gets really loud. It’s a great advantage,” Brady said. “Those momentum swings can be really big at this stadium, and the energy and enthusiasm of the crowd always helps. It was raucous, and hopefully it is this weekend, too.”

The Patriots quarterback was also asked about the comments made by Ray Lewis, who said in a radio interview this week that the “Tuck Rule” game against the Raiders is the only reason Brady is famous.

Brady took the high road.

“Yeah, everyone has an opinion,” he said. “I think Ray’s a great player, he’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer. I was fortunate enough to play against him.”