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The New England Patriots are idle this weekend, enjoying a Week 4 bye after opening the NFL season with three dominating performances that have vaulted them to a strong 4/1 on the odds to win Super Bowl 50 at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.

Following an offseason of controversy, the Patriots saw their Super Bowl odds slip to 12/1 after opening at 6/1 and trailing only the Seattle Seahawks.

But the team quickly saw its Super Bowl odds rebound following the reversal of quarterback Tom Brady's suspension just days before the season opener.

The two-time NFL MVP has not disappointed, amassing 1,112 passing yards and nine touchdowns in wins over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars, extending the Patriots' straight-up win streak to six games, and once again making them the team to beat in the AFC East.

They have scored an impressive 39.7 points per game, which is second in the NFL behind only the Arizona Cardinals, highlighted by a stunning 51-17 thrashing of the Jaguars last weekend that earned them the ATS win as 14-point chalk.

The Patriots go into their bye week with a one-game AFC East lead over the Bills and New York Jets atop the division, and have seen their odds to win the division dramatically improve to -500, with Buffalo trailing at +700, the Jets at +1000 and the disappointing Miami Dolphins falling to +1400 long shots.

New England has also pulled away from the pack in AFC conference futures betting, perched at a solid +175, well ahead of the struggling Indianapolis Colts, who have tumbled to +1000 after picking up just one win in their first three outings.

With the Patriots' outstanding play in the early going, speculation has turned to whether they can once again record a perfect 16-0 regular season, a feat they last accomplished in 2007. The sportsbooks have set the odds of a perfect season at an intriguing 20/1, while the odds of another 50-point performance sit at 50/1.

The Patriots enjoy a favorable schedule over their final 13 games, with just three contests against teams that reached the postseason last year.

However, they face some of the toughest defenses in the NFL in four games, including a pair of matchups with the Jets, one remaining clash with the rapidly improving Bills and a Week 12 battle with the Denver Broncos, who have surrendered just 16.3 points per game in three SU wins to start the season.

Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images