The Week 15 showdown between the Patriots and the Steelers for first place in the AFC looms large for Super Bowl betting, but there's still plenty at stake in Week 14. The Vikings and Panthers play a huge game with seeding implications, and the Rams and Eagles will do the same. The Patriots have remained out front as favorites, but the Steelers are hot on their tail. Meanwhile, Week 13 wiped out (or effectively wiped out) several teams.

The AFC West remains a jumbled mess, with three teams hanging around with decent odds. Miraculously, the Chargers have emerged as a favorite among bettors, something no one would have predicted even four weeks ago. The Jaguars are finally earning some love too, as people have been actively ignoring their contention for a long time. They've demanded and earned respect. Now they have to keep it down the stretch.

Super Bowl LII odds

The favorite

The Patriots are now sitting at outstanding 2/1 odds, and no one seems to want to bet against them. For good reason. Few teams have been in the favorite position as consistently as the Patriots have. With the AFC East all but locked up, the Patriots seem poised to make a deep playoff run.

Obviously nothing is certain, but as long as Tom Brady plays like Tom Brady and Bill Belichick is dialing up game plans, the Patriots will stay near the top of this list. The only way they likely get jumped is if the Steelers hold on to home field in the playoffs.

Last week's commentary on the Patriots remains true this week, and after they routed the Bills in Week 13, the prospect of playing the Patriots isn't any more inviting.

The other contenders

The Steelers remain the Patriots' primary competition in the AFC, and they are still within striking distance. Although their SportsLine odds are damaged by, you guessed it, playing in a conference with the Pats, they seem to have achieved a semblance of consistency that they lacked previously. They'll have a chance to make a power play come Week 15, but first they have to get through another tough AFC North matchup against the Ravens. They were battered in their game against the Bengals, but a big comeback win showed that they can continue to win tight games as they've been doing all year.

In the NFC, the Vikings are the team to beat. They clipped the Falcons last week in a tough game, and their defense was the difference. Case Keenum continues to do enough to win, and his receiving duo of Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen is one of the best in the league. It was a huge win over a contender, and now the Vikings have another big test ahead of them with the Panthers in Week 14. This team is the real deal, and they're looking to hold onto the first seed in the NFC.

The Eagles just lost a tough game to the Seahawks, but playing on the road in prime time at Century Link is never an inviting proposition. The Seahawks defense was stifling, and Russell Wilson played a remarkably clean game. Although it's a hit, it isn't devastating for the Eagles. Carson Wentz will look to bounce back in another huge game against the Rams. This game could have huge seeding implications as it will determine a tiebreaker, so if the Eagles can bounce back they'll be in the driver's seat for at least a Wild Card bye.

The Seahawks have once against proven that they're one of the toughest teams to beat in the NFL. They handed the Eagles their second loss of the season, and they've jumped back into the fifth seed in the NFC. It isn't often that you'll see a wild card or, indeed, fringe playoff team in this mix, but the Seahawks have shown time and time against that they're one of the scariest teams in football when they get hot.

Rounding out the top, the Saints overcame a speedbump against the Rams by dismantling the Panthers (with a little help from the Panthers themselves). It was another game in which Drew Brees didn't need to do a whole lot, mostly relying on the running game of Mark Ingram and the everything else of Alvin Kamara. However, it was backup quarterback Taysom Hill that got the buzz last week, playing a phenomenal game for the Saints on special teams out of nowhere. Brees has proven that he's still got it this year, and the fact that the Saints have had to lean on him so little is what makes him so scary.

Still in the mix

The NFC South is still jumbled, but a new front-runner has emerged. With the Saints back on top (and holding the ability to get further out in front should they win over the Falcons tonight), the Falcons and Panthers find themselves in a dogfight for a wild-card spot. The Panthers have their toughest test of the season in the Vikings on Sunday, whereas the Falcons can dramatically improve their odds on Thursay night if they beat the Saints. Holding that tiebreaker could be huge, but the Saints' remaining strength of schedule will make them tough to catch.

The Rams have a huge test ahead of them on Sunday, when they host the Eagles. This game has heavy implications for the Rams because it could hold a tiebreaker over the Eagles as the season winds down. That is, of course, an invaluable tiebreaker to hold when you're talking about a first-round bye and a home playoff game. They won a tough game against New Orleans and then handily beat the Cardinals, so they're about where they should be. Now it's all about closing the season strong and holding onto the NFC West over the surging Seahawks.

The AFC West is ruining AFC betting. The Chargers have somehow emerged as favorites in the West at 25/1 odds, while the Chiefs continue to stumble, dropping from 30/1 to 40/1, which happens to be the same as the Raiders. This division is overshadowing the rest of the conference, in which the Jaguars (25/1) are favorites in the South, but they're just barely fending off the Titans (40/1). The final wild-card spots will undoubtedly be a dogfight, but the Chargers and Jaguars are trending upwards right now, hence their high chances.

The longshots

The Ravens aren't longshots in the traditional sense, but more in the sense that they're stuck in a division with the Steelers and in the middle of a ruthless fight for a wild-card spot. Even with all of that aside, bettors still give Baltimore 80/1 odds. The Ravens are coming off of a dominant win against the Lions, and they have sneaked in as a sixth seed for now. Everyone knows the havoc that the Ravens can wreak in the playoffs, so now it's all about getting there.

The Packers and Cowboys have good odds given their playoff positions (hint: they don't have one), but both are missing key players. The Packers are hoping to have Aaron Rodgers back from injury for Week 15, whereas the Cowboys will be missing Ezekiel Elliott for the rest of the regular season due to his suspension. If any of the wild-card teams stumble, these teams are lurking behind them. They need to make the playoffs to matter, but if they get in with their best players back, it will be an unpleasant surprise for whichever team has to host them.