2017 NFL Week 13: Quick Takeaways From Every Game

The 2017 NFL week 14 was stacked with all sorts of fun games from start to finish, many of them featured major playoff implications.

Here are some quick takeaways from each game, highlighting the biggest stories emerging from them.

Falcons keep weathering the hangover storm

Somebody needs to give Atlanta credit. After what happened in the Super Bowl, nobody would’ve blamed them for falling apart. They also lost their offensive coordinator and been dealt a series of major setbacks throughout the year. Yet their win over the Saints was all sorts of gutty and kept them firmly in the playoff picture. Impressive stuff.

Adam Vinatieri must be a first ballot Hall of Famer

There is no greater kicker in NFL history than Vinatieri. He’s done everything there is to do in a career. He has ring, clutch kicks, longevity and above all insane accuracy in ridiculous conditions. His huge kick in the raging blizzard against Buffalo is no good for anybody else. That’s just a fact. The Colts lost the game, but Vinatieri reinforced his Hall of Fame candidacy.

Doubt his moralities if you want, but never doubt Cam Newton’s toughness

Newton may not be the best person on the planet Earth, but the saying goes that the NFL isn’t made up of choir boys. Facts are facts. Few players can put a team on his back quite like Newton did against the red hot Minnesota Vikings. His stat line may have been a bit wonky but every time the Panthers needed him to make a play, he did. It led to a gigantically important victory.

A young core is starting to form over in Chicago

The 2017 season may be over for the Bears, but everybody in Chicago got a tantalizing preview of what could be coming in 2018. Several of their young players including Mitch Trubisky, Jordan Howard, Tarik Cohen, Adam Shaheen and Eddie Jackson played a hand in their 33-7 smashing of the Bengals. With one more good draft and a better coaching staff? This team could get serious.