FOXBORO -- There’s no way to explain how football changes when the schedule turns from the regular season to the postseason. You can try and explain it to a youngster who hasn’t gone through the process, but chances are they won’t be fully prepared until they step on the field.

That doesn’t mean the Patriots’ veterans aren’t trying their best to impart some collective wisdom about how everything changes once the playoffs roll around. A lot of that knowledge has been passed down this week, as New England continues to prepare for their divisional playoff contest, set for a week from Saturday at Gillette Stadium.

“It’s a one-game season,” Patriots rookie tackle Nate Solder said this week when asked what he knows about playoff football. “You’re going to put everything into it during the week in your preparation. You’re going to put everything into it during the game, because that’s all you have is that one game.”

While veteran running back Kevin Faulk hasn’t had much of an impact on the field this year, the youngsters on the roster would be wise to listen to his counsel. After all, this is a guy who has played in 18 playoff games -- that’s more than a complete extra season. When asked about what sort of advice he could impart to someone like Solder or Stevan Ridley -- two rookies who will be playing in their first career playoff game on Sunday, Faulk had a quick reply.

“The pace of the game is about to change,” said Faulk, who’s postseason experience on the New England roster is second only to that of quarterback Tom Brady, who has played in 19 playoff games since arriving in Foxboro in 2000.

Some players say the difference in regular season to postseason game is not unlike the transition from the preseason to the regular season. Things jump up and become incrementally faster, forcing those who haven’t been through the process yet to get up to speed almost on the fly.

“The speed of the game gets faster and gets more intense. It gets more physical,” said defensive lineman Vince Wilfork, who has 13 career postseason games under his belt. “Every play is a ‘Got-to- have-it play.’ Every play is a ‘Have-to-win play.’”

Many veterans also stressed preparation. Because the Patriots were able to clinch the No. 1 seed and home field advantage, they have the added benefit of an extra week off. How you use that extra time to prepare (both as an individual and as a teammate) can make all the difference in the world, according to offensive lineman Brian Waters.

“Your preparation has to be at its best, period,” said Waters, who will be playing his first postseason game with the Patriots after two playoff games in 11 years with Kansas City. “You’re going to win football games a lot of times, Monday through Saturday. The days you have leading up to that playoff game is when you’ll win. That’s when you’re going to get your advantage.

“You can’t look at it like one of those things when you’re going to party hearty and be excited to be there. Everything -- your preparation, the way you perform, the way you take care of your body -- you have to step up to another level.”

Proper prep work is not only important for the players, but the rest of the organization as well, according to Vince Wilfork.

“Every aspect from the public to the teams, the coaching, the game plans, the players, everything -- it’s just taken to a whole other level,” Wilfork said. “That’s not just the young guys. That’s older guys, guys who have been around the league. I think the team in general, I think our coaching staff -- it’s just the whole shebang. When you talk about elevating your game, I think it comes from everyone, not just the players. I think it’s a whole organization standpoint.”

As a rookie, there will be a natural tendency to get too cranked up. It’s only natural -- the stakes are raised, and you want to perform well on the big stage. Safety Patrick Chung was one of those guys who was a little too hyped for the postseason, and he had to learn a somewhat Zen approach from veterans who had been through the playoff wars before him. Saying he’s just “straight Energizer Bunny out there,” he leaned on the advice of guys like Tedy Bruschi, Jerod Mayo and Junior Seau when it came to finding a middle ground in the postseason.

“Honestly, prepare for the game like it’s a regular game you’re trying to win,” Chung said when asked about advice for rookies. “You can’t get too hyped about it because if you get too hyped you might get too antsy, and then you never know what might happen.

“But if you have the same preparation that you do week-in-and-week-out and just take it as a game that we have to win -- just like every other week -- then that’s the best advice I can give them. Just relax and let the game come to you.”