New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has admitted that it has been "tough" to cope with injuries to some of their most influential players this season.

The Patriots had already lost one team captain for the season in the form of Vince Wilfork when another, Jerod Mayo, was ruled out for the remainder of the campaign with a torn pectoral muscle suffered in Sunday's win over the New Orleans Saints.

Brady admitted that the news was a blow for his side, but urged other players to step up and fill the void left by Mayo's absence.

"When you lose someone like we did with Vince or Jerod, it's tough. But I'd say a lot of teams deal with it too. You don't want to feel sorry for yourself and you realize that someone has to fill in and do the job," Brady told reporters.

"As much as you hate to lose guys, there is nothing you can do about it and the season doesn't end. You have to keep fighting on, just as they would want us to, just like they did when I went out, just like they did when guys like Rodney [Harrison] went out.

"We've lost some key, critical guys over the years - Ty Law got hurt one year. There have been a lot of guys who have been injured and you just have to try to fill the spot. Other guys have to pick up the slack. Hopefully our execution on offense is better; that would take some pressure off the defence, which has been playing great all year for us."

The Patriots face the New York Jets on Sunday as they look to extend their lead at the top of the AFC East.