FOXBORO — It’s been said before, but Aaron Dobson has been presented with his latest opportunity to step up as a key contributor.

Dobson is among the group of Patriots wide receivers who should see an uptick in playing time in the wake of Julian Edelman’s broken foot, which will likely sideline him for the remainder of the regular season. And considering Dobson was targeted four times (one catch, 4 yards) during quarterback Tom Brady’s 10 pass attempts throughout last Sunday’s game-winning drive against the New York Giants, there’s reason to believe Dobson will be viewed a bit more favorably in the near future.

Matthew Mulligan, a Maine native, said Patriots Coach Bill Belichick and Bills Coach Rex Ryan have more in common than you may think.

Wide receiver Aaron Dobson suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter Monday night and was carted to the locker room. Photos by The Associated Press

ON MONDAY

WHO: Bills (5-4) at Patriots (9-0)

WHEN: 8:30 p.m. Monday

TV: ESPN

“Just like (Coach) Bill (Belichick) always tells us, our role is what we make it,” Dobson said. “The opportunities that I get, I’m just trying to make the most of them.”

Dobson ranks seventh on the Patriots with 12 catches and 124 yards this season. As the Pats prepare for Monday night’s game against the Bills, it’s timely to note Dobson had his best game over the past two years in Week 2 at Buffalo with seven catches for 87 yards.

While tight end Rob Gronkowski and receivers Danny Amendola and Brandon LaFell remain as mainstays in the offense, Dobson joins wideouts Keshawn Martin and Chris Harper and tight end Scott Chandler as targets who need to step up while Edelman recovers.

“Injuries are part of the game,” Dobson said. “It sucks that it goes that way. You never want anybody on your team, especially somebody with that role on your offense, to go down. You just have to step up. Other guys have to step up and take on another role or a bigger role than they already have. Just go out, make the best of your opportunities, play well and play fast.”

Since Dobson’s big game against the Bills, he has only managed four catches for 28 yards, and he was a healthy scratch twice. More than anything, he needs to improve his consistency.

“Every day, you’ve got to do the same thing every day,” Dobson said. “You’ve got to practice every day, the same level every day, consistently.”

Dobson was open deep on two of his late targets, but Brady underthrew him when he had a step on Giants cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie on the first snap of the series. And New York defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul hit Brady’s arm to prevent a big play when Dobson was wide open deep down the field.

It’s something to build from, and it’s up to Dobson to take advantage of another open door.

“I’m coming out to practice regardless of what happens on Sundays,” Dobson said. “I’m trying to get myself better as a player, help myself get better, help the guys I’m going against to get better.”

MATT MULLIGAN has some perspective here. The Maine native, former UMaine player and a tight end for the Patriots in 2013 is now with with Buffalo. The Bills and Patriots play Monday night and he has played for New England Coach Bill Belichick and Buffalo Coach Rex Ryan.

Two different worlds? Not so much.

“Rex is a passionate coach, and Bill is, too,” Mulligan told The Buffalo News. “They just portray it in different ways. I mean, they both want to win. That’s what it comes down to. Everybody’s going to have a different philosophy in how they go about things. Who’s to say which one is wrong?”

There is a clash every time Belichick, with a rigid demeanor and textbook approach, and Ryan, the players’ coach, but don’t think the Bills coach lets the players run the show.

“He wouldn’t be a head coach in this league if that were the case,” said Mulligan, a 6-foot-4, 267-pounder. “He’s extremely respected across the league, regardless of whatever anybody thinks outside of football might think. Guys that are playing football, or have played, they understand the mentality of Rex Ryan. There’s no margin for error just because his personality may be different than Bill’s. Maybe from an organizational standpoint, he has a different philosophy than Bill does, but that doesn’t mean his expectations are any lower.”

As for the success of the Patriots under Belichick, Mulligan credits the continuity of the team and its coaching staff.

“Their philosophy across the board hasn’t changed,” he said. “They haven’t had to deal with, ‘OK, we’re getting this different philosophy this year, and then three years down the road we’re going to have another different offensive system.’

“You’re able to continue to build upon what you do from each year, because there’s no changeover. It breeds excellence because you don’t have to deal with any of the adversity of learning new systems, having to get adjusted to other people’s philosophies. They just continue to get in that same rut and go, go, go, and then anybody that comes in, you fall in that mode or you’re gone. That’s their biggest advantage. They know what they’re going to do and they execute it very well.”

IT’S TIME TO END an unfounded Internet rumor. At this point, there’s no reason to believe linebacker Jamie Collins has MRSA, an infection caused by a staph bacteria resistant to antibiotics.

The Patriots have not shut down any portions of Gillette Stadium to disinfect for MRSA over the past two weeks, according to a source. That’s the standard, recommended practice during an outbreak, and the Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers have each cleansed their facilities in recent years when dealing with MRSA diagnoses.

Collins has been on the injury report with an illness since Nov. 7, and he hasn’t practiced for two weeks. The Patriots are preparing to play without him again Monday.

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