NFL betting: Will the Detroit Lions make the playoffs? It's still a long shot according to the oddsmakers

Fourteen weeks are in the books, meaning just four weeks of NFL regular-season football remain. The playoffs are in sight and playoff races across the league are heating up. The New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks have struggled lately, opening the door in the NFC wild-card race.

After opening the season 1-6, the Lions have won five of their last six games. They have a relatively favorable schedule down the stretch. However, they're still 1.5 games out of the last playoff spot in the NFC. Can they complete an epic comeback? Let's take a look at the current playoff picture across both conferences and the betting odds surrounding each team's hopes of getting in.

Lions still underdogs to get in

The Philadelphia Eagles became the first team to clinch a playoff spot last weekend. The Minnesota Vikings will clinch the NFC North with one victory over their last four games. The San Francisco 49ers can clinch the NFC West with a victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday. The 49ers are 3.5-point road favorites.

Sitting at 10-3, the Dallas Cowboys are also a safe bet to get in. They'll need a lot to go their way to win the division, but they will be in the playoffs barring an epic collapse. That's four of seven NFC playoff spots that seem rather locked in.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a sizable -350 favorite to win the NFC South and claim the automatic berth, but the Carolina Panthers certainly aren't dead and currently hold a lot of key tiebreakers.

After that, just two playoff spots remain in the conference. There are four main contenders to claim those spots. Two of them are surging and two of them are struggling.

The Washington Commanders are -190 favorites to make the playoffs at BetMGM — best among the bubble teams. Washington enters a massive game on Sunday night against the New York Giants as a 4.5-point home favorite. Both teams are 7-5-1 and tied head-to-head just two weeks ago. The Commanders are coming off a bye week while the Giants are coming off a blowout loss to the Eagles.

The Commanders opened the season 1-4 but have gone 6-1-1 in their last eight games. After the Giants, Washington has the San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns and Dallas to finish the year. It's a tough schedule, but if they win this weekend, they'll be in a good spot.

Seattle is viewed as the next most-likely team to make the playoffs, as it is -145 favorites to get in. In mid-November, the Seahawks were 6-3 and looking good before a trip to Berlin. Since then, Seattle has lost three of four games with their lone win coming in the final seconds against the John Wolford-led Los Angeles Rams. Seattle has the 49ers on Thursday and the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Eve. They finish the season with home games against the New York Jets and Rams.

After opening the season 7-3, the Giants are now underdogs to make the playoffs at +115. New York still has trips to Minnesota and Philadelphia after this week's Commanders matchup. Their best chance for a victory comes against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 17. New York will likely need to pull off some upsets down the stretch to get in.

After the Giants, we get to the talk of the league in the Lions. Detroit has won five of its last six games and have looked very good in the process. The Lions are a 1-point road underdog against the Jets this weekend. That might be the toughest remaining game on their schedule as they finish the year with games against the Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. It's certainly not out of the question for Detroit to win out.

With the current form of the Giants and the Seahawks, maybe both teams completely collapse down the stretch and swing the door wide open for Detroit. However, it's getting late and the Lions are still 1.5 games back. That's why Detroit is a +240 underdog to get in. If the Lions get a big road win against a good Jets team this weekend and the Seahawks and Giants both lose as underdogs, it'll create an epic final three weeks.

Are the Dolphins at risk of falling out?

A similar situation is at play in the AFC with a bunch of teams competing for the final few wild card spots. Buffalo can go a long way in locking up the AFC East this weekend if they beat the Miami Dolphins as a 7.5-point home favorite. Kansas City can lock up the AFC West with a victory over the Houston Texans.

The Baltimore Ravens are slight -135 favorites to win the AFC North over the Cincinnati Bengals, but both teams are massive favorites to make the playoffs as they currently sit with 9-4 records. In the AFC South, the Tennessee Titans are still -600 favorites to win the division despite losing three straight games. The Jacksonville Jaguars are a +450 long shot to win the division.

That means we can comfortably pencil five teams into the playoffs with two spots remaining. Just like the NFC, there are four teams who are realistically fighting for those two spots.

Life comes at you fast in the NFL. Two weeks ago, the Dolphins were 8-3 and Tua Tagovailoa was a borderline MVP candidate. Now, Miami is 8-5 and people are once again debating if Tagovailoa is even good. Most importantly, the Dolphins are slightly at risk of falling out of a playoff spot.

Of the bubble teams, Miami still has the best odds of getting into the playoffs at -300. However, there's certainly questions now that Tua is struggling and teams have done a good job of quieting their receivers. The schedule isn't ideal either. The Dolphins have cold-weather games coming up in Buffalo and New England. It wouldn't be shocking at all to see this come down to Week 18 when Miami hosts the Jets.

The next most-likely team to get in is the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers earned a huge victory as 3.5-point home favorites against the Dolphins last weekend, and they're in a good spot as a result. The Chargers host the Titans this weekend and are 2.5-point favorites. The Chargers finish the year with matchups against Indianapolis, the Rams and Denver Broncos. The Chargers are -185 favorites to get into the playoffs, but nothing will ever feel safe or secure when it comes to this franchise.

Oddsmakers think the Dolphins and Chargers have the inside track to claim the final two playoff spots in the AFC. However, the Jets and Patriots are still relevant with 7-6 records. The Patriots are +160 underdogs to get in while the Jets are +165 to squeak in.

New England still has Buffalo, Cincinnati and Miami on its schedule in a tough stretch to end the year. The Jets have a slightly more favorable schedule with games against the Lions, Jaguars, Seahawks and Dolphins. There's no certain losses on that schedule, but there certainly are no easy wins.

The Dolphins still have games against both the Patriots and Jets to finish the year. If they take care of business in those games, they'll be a playoff team. However, if they continue to struggle against the teams chasing them, it's going to be a heartburn-inducing finish.