Here's how good the New England Patriots are this season in the NFL.

Two of the leagues most storied franchises, the Dallas Cowboys (11-1) and Green Bay Packers (10-2), are off to their best starts in team history. However, there is no talk of either team realistically challenging for the Super Bowl.

All of that talk is reserved for the Patriots, who sport an unblemished 12-0 record. If Dallas is considered the toast of the NFC after its 37-27 win over Green Bay last week, the Patriots hold court. New England defeated the Cowboys 48-27 in Irving on Oct. 14.

In the gambling circuit, New England is making a lot of bettors rich. The Patriots are a jaw-dropping 9-3 against the spread so far this season, which is akin to an all-you-can-eat buffet filled with cash.

Las Vegas is responding in kind because the city doesn't like to voluntarily give away money.

Current Patriots betting lines are getting larger than Dolly Parton's bust line. New England was listed as a 24-point favorite in its Nov. 25 game against the Eagles (which Philly covered), which tied an NFL record for the largest line. The only equal came in 1976 when the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Carrot Top of NFL, were listed as a 24-point dog against the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers. Pittsburgh won that game 42-0.

Last week, New England was listed as 20.5-point favorite against the Ravens, but did not cover the game. Steve Serby of the New York Post did a piece on the Patriots' unbelievable line-breaking success. He spoke with sports book director Robert Walker at the Mirage in Las Vegas. Walker estimated the upcoming lines of future Patriots games, and there's plenty of blood yet to be spilled by New England opponents. In the next four games, New England is likely to be favorites by 14.5, 24.5, 24 and 13 points against Pittsburgh, New York Jets, Miami and the New York Giants.

These lines, combined with the game against Baltimore, essentially puts an end to the good run of Patriot covers. With lines this large, in a league where the talent is pretty well balanced from team to team, betting on New England now is dangerous.

The lines are too large to expect New England to consistently cover them, yet they produce reasonable doubt that the opponents will either.

And if you don't know what to do, the best bet is always to avoid making one in the first place.

Chuck Blount | 210SA Contributor