FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — It has been more than a decade since a Patriots team has entered the postseason with a defense that was even close to an equal shareholder in the team’s success, let alone a complementary unit that might even be New England’s key to playoff superiority.

While Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski have clearly paced a passing attack that produced the NFL’s No. 4 scoring offense, Darrelle Revis led a defense that ranked No. 8 in points allowed. That balance gave Bill Belichick’s team the league’s best point differential.

So, Saturday evening’s divisional playoff with Baltimore at Gillette Stadium will be a meeting of two balanced football teams — the Ravens had the NFL’s No. 8 scoring attack and No. 6 scoring defense, combining for the No. 6 scoring differential.

New England’s successful advance to a fourth straight AFC title game could hinge on how the offensive line deals with the Ravens’ pass rush. It will be important to stall a front led by Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil that combined for 49 sacks.

But, unlike past years, when New England lost low-scoring games by a touchdown or less, the Patriots may be better suited than ever to succeed even if Brady and Co. are held in check.

Baltimore is known as a defensive team after a decade-plus of success with Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. Brady has always led a Patriots team known for offense. But this weekend it just might be the way the Patriots’ defense matches up with Joe Flacco’s offense that decides who moves on to the AFC Championship Game.

And make no mistake: The leaders of the New England defense are confident they can make enough plays to come out on top.

“I definitely feel like we’re able to use a lot of people as far as versatility goes,” third-year linebacker Dont’a Hightower said of the defense’s evolution this season. “We have DBs rushing more; we have defensive ends dropping in coverage. We’re able to do a lot of different things that we weren’t able to do last year, as opposed to now. We have more pass rushers in there now. We have a lot of guys dropping and we’re able to understand the game. We’re all interchangeable. Maybe if we’re misaligned we’re able to correct it. As far as versatility goes, it’s not just about rushing or dropping or running a guy man-to-man. It’s also knowing what all 11 people are doing out there. I definitely feel like the 11 people that have been out there on defense, I feel like we all play well together; we have a lot of chemistry.”

Vince Wilfork, Hightower and others got over early struggles in run defense to end No. 9 in the league. They held seven of the last eight opponents to a 3.6-yard average or worse.

That unit faces a rushing attack that averaged 4.5 yards per carry, led by Justin Forsett’s 1,266 yards and 5.4-yard average. Gary Kubiak brought his zone-blocking scheme with him in his first season in Baltimore.

According to Wilfork, New England will have to slow down an attack whose success comes from a combination of an impressive ballcarrier and an excellent scheme.

“I think sometimes you see that you think guys actually have (Forsett) tackled and he spurts out of the pack, and I think their offensive line does a real good job,” Wilfork said. “I think they do a real good job as an offense up front with the tight ends and blocking downfield and the running back being able to see those holes and see where he can crease you. So, they do a real good job of working together. I think that’s how this offense is built. If they all work together, which they have been doing, they’ve been very successful running the football.

“We have our hands full. It’s a challenge for us, but at the same time, we welcome the challenge.”

If the Patriots win that challenge with the NFL’s No. 8 rushing attack, then it will be up to Revis and Co. to deal with the league’s No. 13 passing attack. Flacco had a 90.6 rating, with 27 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Steve Smith led the way with 79 catches for 1,065 yards and six scores in his first season in Baltimore, while Torrey Smith had 49 catches for 767 yards and 11 touchdowns.

“They’re very explosive. You’ve got the Smith brothers or whatever you want to call them — Torrey Smith and Steve — and you’ve got (Owen) Daniels at tight end and (Justin) Forsett at running back,” Revis said. “They’re a very explosive offense. You see it all of the time on film. You watch film (and) Forsett is making long runs and Flacco is throwing the ball deep and they’re making big plays. They’re a big-play offensive team, and that’s something that we’ve really got to focus on as a defense.”

The Patriots played three of the five other AFC playoff teams during the season and scored 43, 43 and 42 points against the Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts. So, maybe this weekend will bring a similar result for a team that has scored at least 41 points in the divisional round in the previous three postseasons.

But if those 40 points don’t come Saturday evening, the new-look defense feels ready to carry the team if necessary.

“I’m very confident in this group,” Wilfork said. “I’m very confident in the team. I’m confident in what we’ve done. I’m confident in what we’re doing. So, we just have to be able to execute at a high level come Saturday. It’s not going to be perfect. It’s not going to be a blowout. It’s playoff football. It’s going to be a tough-fought football game that’s going to take 60 minutes. Who knows? It might be even more than that. But we have to be prepared to play for however long it’s going to take to walk away with a W. But it’s going to be tough.”

SERIES HISTORY: 12th meeting, including three postseason contests. The Patriots lead 8-3, although Baltimore holds a 2-1 advantage in the playoffs. New England and Baltimore have created a nice rivalry in the last few years, animosity fueled by a trio of playoff contests since January 2010. The Ravens upset the Patriots in that wild-card matchup in blowout fashion, 33-14. The Patriots bounced back with an AFC title game victory in January 2012, holding on for a 23-20 win as Billy Cundiff missed a short field goal that would have sent the game into overtime. Baltimore got the better of the postseason a year later with a 28-13 win in Foxborough on the way to Super Bowl glory. New England won the most recent meeting, a 41-7 blowout in Baltimore in December 2013.