FOXBORO — Ray Rice has seen his fair share of the Patriots during his six NFL seasons.

The Baltimore Ravens running back has had his ups and downs in six matchups against the Pats, three in the postseason. The rivalry will intensify this weekend when the teams meet in a game that has major playoff implications.

With both teams fighting for spots in the AFC bracket, you might think Rice is looking forward to facing a depleted Patriots defensive line, But yesterday, the 26-year-old said he’ll miss Vince Wilfork.

“I mean, you respect a guy so much like Vince Wilfork that you kind of want him out there because it’s always a great game when he’s in there,” Rice said of the big tackle, who is out for the season with a torn Achilles. “I wish him health, I wish him a speedy recovery, because that’s a tough thing to come back from. You know, he’s definitely going to be missed out there because of the respect, number one, that I have for him. We’ve had pretty good battles against him over the years.”

Rice has more on his mind than Wilfork’s absence as he enters his seventh game against the Patriots. He has had a difficult season, averaging a career-worst 3.1 yards per carry after dealing with a hip flexor in September.

Rice has had 20 carries in only two games this season, and he’s only topped 100 yards once. He rushed for 56 yards on 12 carries in Monday night’s win against the Lions in Detroit and feels this season has been a challenge physically.

“I’ve been dealing with injuries this year,” Rice said. “This has been a different year for me. Everybody plays through different things, and my numbers are what they are, but I’m doing what I can do to help my team. The injury I had this year wasn’t something that you just bounce back from.”

In three regular-season games against the Patriots — one win and two losses — Rice has averaged 97.3 yards. In three postseason games — two wins and a loss — he’s averaged 91.3 yards.

Two of his best performances against the Patriots came in 2009. In the regular season, a 27-21 Pats win at Gillette Stadium in Week 4, Rice ran for 103 yards on only 11 carries. Then in the wild card round of the playoffs, he ran for 159 yards and two scores in a 33-14 Ravens rout in Foxboro.

Things certainly are different heading into Sunday. Rice might not reach the 700-yard mark this season, and the Pats defense is ranked 31st in the NFL, but even when he faces a defensive line without Wilfork, he expects a tough test.

“(I see) a lot of skill, man. The guys still play hard, play fast,” Rice said. “They’ve got that next man up mentality. I don’t look at stats anymore. I don’t look at things like that. Those guys are playing with a high motor, and it’s definitely going to be a challenge for us.”