Any other week, 350-pound defensive tackle Vince Wilfork likely would be the talk of the town for his heroics in the hours after the New England Patriots won the AFC Championship Game.

The fact that he’s not dominating the airwaves is proof that this is not an ordinary week in Foxborough, Mass.

The 33-year-old Wilfork, a teammate of quarterback Tom Brady since 2004, also serves as the captain of the team’s defense. On Friday, Wilfork echoed sentiments from coach Bill Belichick and Brady on Thursday that it’s frustrating to see the media focus primarily on the investigation into the Patriots using deflated footballs in the AFC title game.

Wilfork also said the Patriots will be ready for Super Bowl XLIX no matter what distractions are introduced before the game kicks off Feb. 1 in Glendale, Ariz.

“This isn’t our first rodeo,” Wilfork said.

A few hours after the Patriots’ 45-7 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, Wilfork was driving home from Gillette Stadium when he approached a Jeep Wrangler overturned and resting on the driver’s side. He arrived before Massachusetts State troopers, who thanked Wilfork for his enormous assist.

The driver was unable to exit the vehicle until Wilfork helped her.

“I just wanted to get her to safety,” Wilfork said. “It wasn’t a big deal.”

There will be no safe ground for Brady to retreat next week in Arizona. Based on reactions from current and former coaches and quarterbacks, Brady is the prime suspect in the NFL investigation. He’ll likely hear every form of question related to football pressure and conspiracy theory imaginable as the NFL probe looks unlikely to be completed before the league’s championship game.

“Tom’s a big boy,” Wilfork said Friday. “He knows how to handle all situations. He’ll handle this with class like he always does, negative or positive. That’s something that makes him so great. For him to be attacked the way he (was), trust me, we’ve been attacked plenty of times, individually and as an organization.”

In the Super Bowl, Wilfork’s defense will be attacked by running back Marshawn Lynch, who averaged 5.3 yards per carry in the regular season for the Seattle Seahawks.

Wilfork’s matchup with center Max Unger, who has been saddled by injuries this season, could be a critical one next Sunday. Unger played last week in the NFC title game, when Lynch rushed for 157 yards and caught a 26-yard pass in the fourth quarter that helped the Seahawks complete their comeback.

“Beast,” Wilfork said of Lynch, adding that the Patriots are preaching gang tackling to prevent Lynch from having a huge game. “He’s an old-school running back that can do everything. There’s not one thing he cannot do. He is very, very, very tough. The more and more you play in the game, it seems like he kicks it to another gear. And that’s the sign of a great football player. He’s hands down the best back in the game because he can hurt you any time he has the ball in his hands.”

–Owner Robert Kraft issued a statement that followed the NFL’s own remarks confirming the investigation into the air pressure in footballs used by the Patriots in the first half of the AFC title game. Kraft said the team gave the NFL access to “every full- and part-time employee” the league investigators requested to speak to over their three-day visit.

“I very much support the league’s desire to conduct a complete investigation and welcome the appointment of Ted Wells to lead the process,” Kraft said, referencing the attorney who also conducted the investigation into the Miami Dolphins’ bullying scandal in 2013.

“Competitive balance and the integrity of the game are the foundation of what makes our league so special and I have the utmost respect for those principles,” Kraft said. “Our organization will continue to cooperate throughout the league’s investigation. Meanwhile, our players, coaches and staff will continue to focus on our preparations for Super Bowl XLIX and the many challenges we face as we prepare for the Seattle Seahawks.”

–Offensive lineman Dan Connolly was called upon to play fullback at Seattle when the teams met in 2012. Personnel has changed — New England even employs a traditional fullback, James Devlin — but Connolly said the scheme the Seahawks operate makes communication and execution vital.

“We’ve got our work cut out for us,” Connolly said Friday.

The news is good for the Patriots up front. Starting center Bryan Stork practiced for the second consecutive day after sitting out last week because of a knee injury.