Bills' Disappointing Performance Opens New England Path to Top Spot - Best of Week 10 NFL Action
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Week 10 once more provided excitement, with a huge upset for the Buffalo Bills proving the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' saying that draws so many fans into the NFL
This outcome could have created opportunities for the New England Patriots to move back into a leading position they formerly held, with a schedule that provides them an advantage over their 8-2 rivals
Over in the National Football Conference the Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had ideal outcomes to set up a monster clash in week 11, while our player of the week is chasing records as well as the MVP award
Analysis - Just a Bad Day for the Bills?
Was it just an emotional comedown from beating the Chiefs the previous week or something more? That's the question for the Buffalo team to answer
The Buffalo squad had won seven in a row against Miami but were outperformed from the start as the Dolphins ran out 30-13 victors in an eye-opening outcome - and display
MVP Josh Allen only got the squad's initial first down in the third quarter and first points in the final quarter - yes Miami had 10 days to get ready but it was still a significant failure produced by one of the NFL's top offences
Dolphins quarterback Tua threw two touchdowns but running back De'Von Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 total yards and two touchdowns
Bottling up the NFL's top rushing attack was crucial too, with James Cook and company recording just eighty-six yards, their lowest of the year and just over fifty percent their 161.5 yard season average
Then there were the three crucial ball losses, and the pair from Allen specifically. An interception in the scoring area meaning a nine minute drive produced nothing, and his final quarter dropped ball that Miami converted to seven points just two plays
It was classic 'previous Bills teams' as they hurt themselves in the foot, getting into a hole on defense and Josh Allen attempting to overcompensate to rescue his squad out of it - rather than the composed, controlled, balanced Buffalo team we've seen this season
The Dolphins have demonstrated a bit of everything this season so the verdict is uncertain on if this is the start of a trend, but for Buffalo they'll require an immediate bounce-back in a tough game against the Buccaneers next week as the Patriots are quietly moving into a nice lead at the top of the AFC East
Spotlight - New England See Path to Unexpected First Place
Speaking of the New England, they're one of three 8-2 squads in the NFL, all AFC teams, but are they the best?
You can find flaws in the Patriots, the Broncos and Indianapolis really for dominating the weaker opponents, with only five of their combined twenty-four victories achieved against teams with a winning record - and one of those was the Colts defeating the Broncos
Denver beat the champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are masters of the final quarter while Indianapolis can ride Taylor, but the New England adding Sunday's victory in Tampa to their primtime success in Buffalo appears to be a statement
Their two defeats occurred in new head coach Vrabel's first three games, with seven straight wins, similar to Denver, since then - but taking down Baker Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a bye to prepare was huge
Drake Maye's MVP claims continue to be discussed, and he certainly deserves credit for bravery after taking some savage hits in Tampa Bay but persevering to steer his team to success
The defensive unit is solid and rookie rusher Henderson burst onto the scene on game day with 147 rushing yards and two exhilerating touchdowns of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - becoming just the fifth different runner to exceed 22 miles per hour this season on his first score
Although you can debate who 'the top team' is statistically, the Patriots should be favorites to finish with the top record thanks to their schedule - which includes just a single matchup against a winning team, although a huge one against the Bills
Visiting Baltimore is also tough, but Denver have it more difficult in the AFC West division with the Kansas City to face two times, the Los Angeles Chargers (who could also challenge for first place but face the same problem) and also the Packers on the schedule
The Colts also face the Kansas City, and have the Seattle, San Francisco and two games with the 5-4 Jacksonville to face. There's a long way to travel but the opportunity is open for a surprise top seed in the AFC
Next Week - Rams & Seahawks Set for Week 11 Showdown
Both squads with strong arguments to be better than all of the three different eight and two teams are National Football Conference West rivals the Seattle and Los Angeles, who each put up 40 burgers to go to 7-2 before the upcoming major meeting between the two in LA
Both have secured four victories in a consecutive games, have signal callers in Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold playing at an elite level (although Darnold had ball security problems on Sunday) with excellent pass catchers, and defensive units giving up fewer than twenty points a game
Both could easily be without a loss as too - especially the Los Angeles as their two defeats occurred in extra time against the 49ers and then that agonising loss in Philadelphia when they had a potentially winning kick with the last kick deflected and returned by the Philadelphia for a score
Seattle were also defeated to San Francisco, with a last-minute score in week one, before falling to the final play of the contest against the Tampa Bay - so they are genuinely among the top teams in the league
The next matchup on Sunday could be the most exciting of the year so far
Player of the Week - Jonathan Taylor
Jonathan Taylor could be on for a record season after his remarkable performance in Germany - running for 244 rushing yards, scoring three touchdowns and adding another 42 {receiving yards