Here are some observations and notes from Week 13:
1. The Carolina Panthers remain undefeated after winning over the Saints on Sunday. Cam Newton has put himself right at the top of the MVP race with Tom Brady and the Panthers are now 12-0 this season. The Panthers have been doing it with defense, but on Sunday it was about Newton and the offense in the comeback over the Saints.
2. The Patriots lost for the second straight week and now the team is out as the top seed in the AFC for the time being. The Patriots lost to the Eagles and Brady had two interceptions in the game, including one returned by Malcolm Jenkins for a TD, and now the team will have to find a way to bounce back next week. The Patriots were undefeated and now have lost two in a row to fall to 10-2. In some ways the team might be glad they are not still undefeated, as the last time they did that the pressure was constant all the way to the Super Bowl where the team lost to the Giants.
3. The loss opened things up for the Bengals and the Broncos and now those teams are leading the conference heading into Week 14. The Broncos have a win over the Patriots this season and they can stay atop the conference with the Bengals if they win out. The Broncos have been getting it done with Brock Osweiler in for Peyton Manning, while Andy Dalton is having the best season of his career.
4. The Seattle Seahawks are starting to show their usual form late in the season and the team now is in a wild card spot in the NFC. The team has a chance to make a run in the conference and the division is not out of reach if the team can keep winning and Arizona stumbles. The Seattle defense was dominant against the Vikings and that could be the start of another big run for the team.
5. The Browns lost again on Sunday and with the Titans winning, it looks like Cleveland will have a good chance at getting the number one overall pick. The team could consider a quarterback with the pick, as Johnny Manziel has been inconsistent and while he could be the future of the franchise, the team doesn't quite know what he is yet as a pro quarterback.