FOXBORO -- Jerod Mayo has been thrust into the captains' role in just his second year in the NFL.

On Sunday, the Patriots linebacker will be one of several Patriots who will be making their first appearance in the playoffs.

But Mayo said that not having playoff experience doesn't mean he won't be successful.

"I feel like I've worked hard all year and I'm approaching this game the same way," Mayo said. "There is a lot more media hype and things like that but at the end of the day, everybody has to do their job...Every game is a huge game from this point on.

"When I first got here, coach [Bill] Belichick told me the levels of play - preseason to regular season to playoffs and this is my first time experiencing the playoffs."

From the way the Patriots have practiced this week, Mayo can already tell that the intensity of Sunday's game is going to be enormous.

"The sense of urgency is there," Mayo said. "We all know what we had to do. We go out there and perform each and every week."

Mayo said that he doesn't know what to expect on Sunday, but he is "going to go out and perform."

Patriots defensive end Jarvis Green said that he told players like Mayo who have never played in the playoffs before to "play hard and play 60 minutes. The playoffs are a different level of football. The regular season is behind us and we are going to need everybody."