Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck has admitted that his side are in for a tough challenge when they face the New England Patriots in their divisional round playoff clash.

Luck guided his side to a historic 28-point comeback win over the Kansas City Chiefs, but feels that the Patriots are a step up in competition after they hammered the Colts last season in their clash at Gillette Stadium.

"We know it's going to be a dogfight and looking forward to it," Luck told reporters. "This is what the playoffs are about.

"[They're a] phenomenal football team. They do a great job of disguising their defenses.

"Everything seems to look at the same. You blink for a second and it's completely different and you screw up."

The 24-year-old threw 23 touchdowns to just nine interceptions during the regular season.