Tom Brady: 'We have to slow down Robert Mathis'

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is adamant that his side have to stop defensive end Robert Mathis if they are to beat the Indianapolis Colts in their playoff clash.

Mathis had 19.5 sacks in the regular season, which led the NFL, and he also had a huge play in his side's win over the Kansas City Chiefs as he forced quarterback Alex Smith to fumble, handing points to the Colts on their next drive.

"It all starts with Robert Mathis and being the defensive player of the year, basically, 19.5 sacks, he kind of wreaks a lot of havoc," Brady told WEEI.

"We've got to be able to figure out how to slow him down and then we've got to be really balanced on offense like we've been. We've got to run it, and when we throw, we've got to throw it good."

The Patriots face the Colts at Gillette Stadium on Saturday.