The New England Patriots probably will claim their 19th consecutive victory (including playoffs) when the downtrodden Miami Dolphins come Sunday to Foxboro.

The question, really, is the margin.

New England is favored by 13 points, a huge spread in the NFL. That reflects both the Patriots’ excellence and the abysmal nature of the Miami offense, which has just two touchdowns in four games, all losses.

But consider that only three of the Patriots’ 18 straight wins are by more than 13 points, one of them last week when they won 31-17 in Buffalo.

That hardly was a blowout.

The teams were tied entering the fourth quarter, and the Bills were at the New England 17 with less than three minutes left, trailing by just seven. Then came a typical New England play: Tedy Bruschi knocked the ball from Drew Bledsoe’s hands, and Richard Seymour returned it for the clinching score.

Miami’s defense is good; Bill Belichick makes the Dolphins sound as every bit as good as the 1985 Bears.

“They choke you off. They bog it down,” New England’s coach says.

“They are tough and they have always been tough. They are tough to run against. They are tough to throw against. They are good on third down. They are good in the red area. They are good on the goal line. They are good everywhere.”

OK, we get the point. They’re good enough to cover.

PATRIOTS, 18-6

Tennessee (plus 3) at Green Bay (Monday night)

Brett Favre and Steve McNair are injured, but each is supposed to play.

The Packers can’t lose three straight at Lambeau, can they?

Yes.

TITANS, 20-17

St. Louis (plus 61/2) at Seattle

Seattle is allowing just 4.3 points a game. The Rams nearly will quadruple that and still lose.

SEAHAWKS, 24-17

Oakland (plus 9) at Indianapolis

Kerry Collins was awful last week. But two years ago, he threw for 366 yards and four TDs in Indy with the Giants and won, 44-27.

COLTS, 49-44.

Detroit (plus 7) at Atlanta

The Lions demonstrated against the Eagles that they’re not quite ready for big games. Atlanta’s defense is.

FALCONS, 22-10

Carolina (plus 51/2) at Denver

The Panthers are capable of a surprise.

BRONCOS, 20-17

Buffalo (plus 7) at New York Jets

For what it’s worth, the Bills are the NFL’s best winless team, and the Jets may be the worst unbeaten one. But John Abraham against a shaky offensive line and a fumble-prone Drew Bledsoe means no surprise.

JETS, 27-21

New York Giants (plus 31/2) at Dallas

“He’s a very good friend of mine and so on and so forth,” former Tuna helper Tom Coughlin says of Bill Parcells. “But it’s the Dallas Cowboys against the New York Giants.” For the bragging rights as the second-best team in the NFC East.

GIANTS, 17-16

Baltimore (pick ’em) at Washington

For bragging rights on the Beltway. Ray Lewis rebounds after one of his worst games.

RAVENS, 20-16

Cleveland (plus 6) at Pittsburgh

Another commuter rivalry. Big Ben (Roethlisberger) is doing well with a low-risk gameplan.

STEELERS, 21-13

Jacksonville (plus 21/2) at San Diego

Is there a reason the Chargers can’t win?

CHARGERS, 17-11

Minnesota (minus 4) at Houston

The Vikings have problems outdoors, so the Texans will keep the roof open.

TEXANS, 24-23

Tampa Bay (plus 3) at New Orleans

The Saints are a dysfunctional family. The Bucs get a boost from Chris Simms.

BUCS, 16-15

Arizona (plus 11/2) at San Francisco

The Cardinals have been in every game. The 49ers haven’t.

CARDINALS, 17-13

LAST WEEK: 9-4-1 (spread), 9-5 (straight up)

SEASON: 33-25-2 (spread), 43-17 (straight up)