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Following a bye in Week 4, the undefeated New England Patriots return to action on Sunday visiting the ailing Dallas Cowboys as 9-point betting favorites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.

The Patriots are off to a hot start, dominating in their three outings and most recently crushing the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 3 by a 51-17 margin while easily covering as big 14-point favorites.

New England now rides a six-game straight up winning streak into Sunday afternoon's Patriots vs. Cowboys betting matchup at AT&T Stadium, and is 4-0-1 against the spread over its past five contests.

Much of the credit for the Patriots' early-season success must go to quarterback Tom Brady, who looks to be on a mission to bring the club back to the Super Bowl this season.

Brady leads all quarterbacks with an impressive 371 yards per game while tallying 1,112 yards, good for fifth in the NFL.

New England has continued its charge up the Super Bowl 50 odds, joining the undefeated Green Bay Packers as 7/2 favorites.

It has been a dramatically different story in Dallas, where the Cowboys welcome the Patriots riding a two-game SU and ATS losing streak.

Pegged as early favorites to repeat as NFC East champs, and a strong 14/1 bet to capture the Super Bowl 50 crown, the Cowboys have quickly fallen off the page at the sportsbooks, where they now trail the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants in NFC East betting and sit at a distant 35/1 on the Super Bowl odds.

The Cowboys have been devastated by injuries to their two most important offensive stars, quarterback Tony Romo and receiver Dez Bryant, who remain out indefinitely.

Backup Brandon Weeden has stepped in for Romo, and gave a yeoman's effort in the Cowboys' 26-20 loss to New Orleans on Sunday night.

But Dallas has placed greater emphasis on its ground game in the absence of Romo and Bryant, with running back Joseph Randle making his mark with four rushing touchdowns over the past two weeks.

Defense remains an issue for the Cowboys, who allowed Saints quarterback Drew Brees to throw for 359 yards and two touchdowns last weekend, including an 80-yard bomb to C.J. Spiller that ended the shortest overtime in NFL history.

The Cowboys have averaged just 12.25 points per game in their last four against New England, going 0-4 SU and 1-3 ATS according to the OddsShark NFL Database, and will likely have their hands full on both sides of the ball this weekend.

Thumbail photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images