New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has hit back at Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh for suggesting that his side were "deceptive" in their divisional playoff win.

The Patriots rallied from two deficits of 14 points to defeat the Ravens 35-31 at Gillette Stadium, using inventive tactics to secure their victory with sets including four offensive linemen.

Harbaugh claimed that those tactics should not have been employed, but Brady along with the NFL have insisted that they were perfectly legal.

"Maybe those guys gotta study the rule book and figure it out," Brady told reporters. "We obviously knew what we were doing and we made some pretty important plays."

The Patriots advanced to their fourth straight AFC championship game as a result of their win.