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The New England Patriots will be looking to strengthen their position as the favorites to win the AFC when they travel to Indianapolis on Sunday to battle the Colts as 7 1/2-point betting favorites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.

The Patriots improved to a lofty plus-150 on the AFC futures with their decisive 30-6 victory over the Dallas Cowboys last weekend, picking up their third straight win against the spread while covering as 8 1/2-point favorites. They continue to trail Green Bay on the odds to win Super Bowl 50 at 7/2 odds while the Packers lead the way at 3/1.

New England will have another chance to close that gap in Sunday night's Patriots vs. Colts betting matchup at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The club carries a six-game straight-up win streak into this weekend's contest with its conference rivals, whom it last faced in last season's AFC title game. The Patriots handed Indianapolis a 45-7 beating in that matchup, covering as 7-point chalk in what proved to be a controversial contest.

That game marked the beginning of the Patriots' current six-game ATS unbeaten streak, and ended a run of three straight ATS losses.

New England is also a perfect 5-0 SU in its last five away from Gillette Stadium, 4-1 ATS, outscoring its opponents by an average margin of 9.2 points over that stretch.

After a worrisome 0-2 start, the Colts have finally come to life, winning three straight SU and picking up their first ATS win of the season last week, posting a 27-20 outright win, as 4 1/2-point road underdogs, over the Houston Texans.

That ended Indianapolis' five-game ATS losing skid, which included its season-opening SU losses to Buffalo and New York, both while favored at the sportsbooks. It is a good time to be heating up for the Colts, who will now be looking to build on their lead atop the AFC South with their three division rivals sporting just one win each.

Indianapolis is 5-1 SU in its last six at home, with its most recent defeat coming against New England in Week 11 of last season, and is 9-0 SU and ATS in its past nine as underdogs on home turf according to the OddsShark NFL Database.

But it has been almost six years since the Colts notched a SU win over the rival Patriots, dropping six straight SU, 2-4 ATS, while losing by an average margin of 21 points.

Thumbnail photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images