Bills' Bay Day Gives Patriots Path to Top Spot - Best of NFL Week 10
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The tenth week once more provided excitement, with a major surprise for the Bills demonstrating the 'any given Sunday' mantra that draws so many people into the National Football League
That result may have opened opportunities for the New England Patriots to move back into a top spot they formerly held, with a remaining games that gives them an advantage over their eight and two rivals
Over in the National Football Conference the Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had ideal outcomes to arrange a monster clash next week, while our top performer is chasing records as well as the Most Valuable Player award
The Breakdown - Simply an Off Day for the Bills?
Could it simply have been an emotional comedown from beating the Chiefs last week or a deeper issue? That's the question for the Bills to answer
The Buffalo squad had secured seven victories in a consecutive games against the Dolphins but were second best from the start as the Miami team emerged as 30-13 victors in an surprising outcome - and display
MVP Josh Allen only got the squad's initial first down in the third period and first points in the final quarter - yes the Dolphins had 10 days to get ready but it was still a significant failure laid by one of the league's best offenses
Tua Tagovailoa threw two touchdowns but rusher De'Von Achane was the devastating difference, with 225 combined yards and two touchdowns
Bottling up the NFL's top running game was also key, with James Cook and teammates recording just 86 yards, their fewest of the year and slightly more than fifty percent their 161.5 yard season average
Then there were the three critical turnovers, and the pair from Josh Allen in particular. An pass caught by defense in the end zone resulting in a nine-minute drive yielded no points, and his final quarter fumble that Miami converted to seven points just two plays
It was classic 'previous Bills teams' as they shot themselves in the foot, getting into a deficit on defense and Josh Allen attempting to do too much to dig his team from the situation - not the calm, controlled, well-balanced Buffalo team we've witnessed this season
The Dolphins have served up a varied performances this year so the verdict is uncertain on if this is the beginning of a trend, but for the Bills they'll require an immediate bounce-back in a difficult matchup against the Buccaneers next week as the New England are sneaking into a nice lead at the top of the AFC East
In Focus - New England Identify Route to Unexpected First Place
Regarding the Patriots, they're among three 8-2 squads in the league, all American Football Conference teams, but could they be the best?
One could find flaws in the Patriots, the Broncos and Indianapolis actually for feasting on the weaker opponents, with only five of their total 24 wins coming against opponents with a positive record - and one example was the Colts beating the Broncos
The Broncos defeated the champion Eagles in Philly and are kings of the fourth-quarter while Indianapolis can ride Jonathan Taylor, but the Patriots including Sunday's win in Tampa Bay to their prime time win in Buffalo seems like a declaration
Their two defeats occurred in recently appointed coach Mike Vrabel's initial three contests, with seven straight wins, similar to the Broncos, from that point - but defeating Baker Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a bye to get ready was huge
Drake Maye's MVP claims won't go away, and he definitely earns point for bravery after absorbing some hard tackles in Tampa but hanging in there to steer his side to success
The defense is solid and first-year rusher TreVeyon Henderson burst onto the scene on game day with 147 rushing yards and two exhilerating touchdowns of 55 and 69 yards - becoming just the fifth different runner to break 22 miles per hour this year on his first score
Although you can argue who 'the top team' is technically, the Patriots should be favorites to end with the best record due to their schedule - which includes just a single matchup against a successful opponent, although a significant contest against the Bills
Traveling to Baltimore is also tough, but the Broncos have it more difficult in the AFC West division with the Kansas City to play twice, the Los Angeles Chargers (who might also compete for top seed but encounter 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 matchups with the 5-4 Jaguars to contend with. There's a long way to go but the door is available for a shock number one position in the AFC
Coming Up - Los Angeles and Seattle Set for Week 11 Showdown
Two teams with strong arguments to be better than all of the three different 8-2 teams are NFC West opponents the Seattle and Rams, who both put up 40 burgers to go to 7-2 ahead of next week's major meeting between the two in LA
They've both won four in a consecutive games, have signal callers in Stafford and Sam Darnold performing at an high standard (although Darnold had ball security problems on Sunday) with top receivers, and defenses allowing fewer than twenty points a contest
Both could realistically be without a loss as too - particularly the Rams as their two defeats occurred in extra time against the 49ers and then that agonising loss in Philly when they had a potentially winning kick with the final play deflected and returned by the Philadelphia for a score
The Seahawks were also defeated to San Francisco, with a late touchdown in week one, before falling to the final play of the game against the Tampa Bay - so they're truly among the top teams in the NFL
The upcoming game on Sunday could be the most exciting of the year so far
Player of the Week - Taylor
Taylor could be on for a historic year after his remarkable performance in Berlin - running for 244 yards, registering three touchdowns and contributing another forty-two {receiving yards