FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Left tackle Nate Solder should see plenty of a familiar face this Sunday when the Patriots travel to western New York, as it is expected that he will line up often against former teammate and defensive end Mark Anderson, who signed with the Bills this offseason.
Despite the advanced knowledge of Anderson's game, Solder remains hard at work studying up on Buffalo's entire defensive front.
"You can't take anything for granted," he said. "We're still studying up on him, studying up on the team, seeing what they're doing."
Solder believes Buffalo's defensive line, which also features top free agent addition Mario Williams, will be a challenge to face.
"I think they're really good across the board," Solder said. "Both their d-tackles, all their D-tackles, their ends, they all play really hard, they're all really talented. It'll be a challenge for us up front."
A year ago, the Bills didn't sack Patriots quarterback Tom Brady during a Week 3 showdown, but recorded a 34-31 upset. Solder said he's not looking back on that defeat as something to learn from.
"Really, the way I think about it is just week-to-week," he said. "All my focus this week is just Buffalo and getting prepared that way."
Teammates of Solder's referred to entering this week's game at 1-2 as a situation in which their backs are against the wall, and also talked about playing with a sense of urgency. Solder says that's not something that was manufactured this week, but something his team has always adopted.
"In my opinion, we've had a sense of urgency the whole time," he said. "It's always been important to us, and we're going to continue to work hard."