Quick-hit thoughts/notes around the New England Patriots and NFL:

1. I’m not sure if it is the same illness as what has knocked starting linebacker Jamie Collins out of practice and games the past two weeks, but I now have a better understanding of what landed first-year Patriots defensive end Rufus Johnson on the reserve/non-football injury list on Oct. 28, ending his season. Those close to Johnson said he got hit with an aggressive stomach virus, which affected his ability to eat and led to him losing significant weight and strength. “It came out of the blue,” one source said. In a sign of how aggressive the virus was, which led to inflammation in the stomach, Johnson is still taking medication as part of his recovery. Between Johnson, a promising prospect who flashed in the preseason, and now Collins, the Patriots have been hit hard by illnesses on defense this year. Collins has already been ruled out Monday against the Bills, which will be the third game in a row he's missed.

2. Bills head coach Rex Ryan was legitimately upset over what unfolded Thursday on his conference call with New England reporters. It was clear that Ryan didn’t like one question -- “You’ve lost eight of nine to the Patriots; is that something that kind of keeps you up at night considering how much time you spend talking about them?” -- but what further pushed it over the top was when Ryan was asked soon after if quarterback Tyrod Taylor’s low interception total since Week 2 against New England was a result of defenders dropping would-be interceptions. That was the question that got Ryan especially irritated.

At this time last year, Malcolm Butler couldn't crack the Patriots' game-day roster. Now he's thriving as their top cornerback. John Minchillo/AP

3. If not for cornerback Malcolm Butler, where would the Patriots be? If you’d have asked that question prior to the Super Bowl, it probably would have produced a chuckle. But since Butler made his dramatic game-saving interception in the Super Bowl, he’s been on a steady rise from No. 5 to No. 1 corner, and is coming off the most complete and impressive game of his career against Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Butler has played 98.4 percent of the defensive snaps this season, and outside of him and No. 2 cornerback Logan Ryan, the Patriots are dangerously thin at the position (No. 3 cornerback Justin Coleman is already out for Monday, and perhaps longer). Add it all up and few players are as vital to the Patriots’ hopes of a repeat as Butler. From the what-a-difference-a-year makes department: Last year on Nov. 23, when the Patriots were playing at home against Detroit, Butler was a healthy scratch.

4. ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter’s report that teams will likely be able to trade compensatory draft picks in 2016 might be more significant to the Patriots than any other team. The Patriots are expecting three to four compensatory picks as a result of losing Darrelle Revis, Vince Wilfork, Shane Vereen and Akeem Ayers in free agency, and they are also without a first-round pick from the NFL’s Deflategate punishment, so it adds some pressure to what they can do with their middle- and late-round picks. Also consider that in 16 years with the Patriots, Bill Belichick has swung 55 draft-day trades, which reflects how he likes to move around the board. The only year in which he didn’t make a draft-day trade was 2004.

5. My sense is that the Patriots wouldn’t have made an aggressive move to sign free-agent receiver Wes Welker had he been available following Julian Edelman’s left foot injury on Nov. 15. Welker had inked a one-year deal with the Rams on Nov. 9, and after Edelman’s injury six days later, it was a natural question to ask if the Patriots would have considered a reunion. Had both Edelman and Danny Amendola been injured in the same game, maybe it’s a different story.

6. The Patriots will have to decide by Tuesday if defensive tackle Chris Jones (calf) and linebacker Dane Fletcher (torn ACL) are promoted from the physically unable to perform list or if they are placed on season-ending injured reserve. It’s a log-jam on the roster at both spots right now, with the Patriots playing five defensive tackles in a solid rotation, and Collins, Dont’a Hightower, Jonathan Freeny, Jerod Mayo, Jon Bostic and Eric Martin on the linebacker depth chart. This falls into the “high class” problem category, as a team would rather have too many players than not enough. I wonder if it might be tough for the Patriots to get both Jones and Fletcher on the roster, and if it’s just one, I’d think Jones has the edge assuming good health.

7. The difference in playmaking ability between injured “passing back” Dion Lewis and his primary replacement James White showed up last Sunday against the Giants. White is steady, and Bill Belichick credited his pass protection on the team’s final drive to set up the game-winning field goal, but he doesn’t have the same playmaking upside as Lewis. That’s why I thought the Patriots would pounce on speedy running back Travaris Cadet, who flashed some explosive run-after-catch skills in training camp and was with them through the third week of the regular season, before he signed with the 49ers days after Lewis’ injury. If the Patriots weren’t juggling pieces in other areas due to injuries, such as the offensive line, perhaps they would have been more aggressive with Cadet. Since Lewis’ injury, the Patriots have had running backs Daryl Richardson, Pierre Thomas, Robert Turbin and Kendall Hunter in for workouts as they keep emergency lists fresh.

8. Gene Steratore is assigned to referee tomorrow night’s Patriots-Bills game, marking the 10th different referee the Patriots have had in 10 games this season. One referee the Patriots haven’t seen is Walt Anderson, who worked last year’s AFC Championship Game and whose air-pressure measurements and general oversight of footballs was a significant part of Deflategate. Sometimes the NFL can keep an official from working a specific team’s games (e.g. Walt Coleman, Raiders, Tuck Rule), and perhaps that applies here. Something we'll be watching for in the weeks to come.

9. Things are looking up for the Patriots when it comes to the health of the offensive line, so now it could become a question of who plays where instead of simply who is available to play. The Oct. 18 game at Indianapolis provides some insight as to what the coaching staff might be thinking is best at tackle as Marcus Cannon started on the left side to open that game, with Sebastian Vollmer on the right side. Then on the interior, the question is whether they tinker at center, where undrafted David Andrews has held his ground. My hunch is no, so if they leave Andrews in the pivot, I’d expect the Patriots to flank him with Bryan Stork and Josh Kline at the guard spots (with rookies Shaq Mason and Tre’ Jackson as backups).

10. Did You Know: Since 2001, the Patriots have the NFL’s best winning percentage in games (regular season and playoffs) decided by three points or fewer (38-15, .717). Meanwhile, their opponent on Monday night, the Bills, have the worst winning percentage in games decided by three points or fewer over that span (21-36, .368).

BOOK SIGNING: I'll be joining Troy Brown for a book signing of "Patriot Pride" on Tuesday, Dec. 1 at Barnes & Noble in Burlington, Massachusetts, from 7-9 p.m. ET. Hope to see you there.