Bills' Bay Day Opens 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 Sunday can bring surprises' saying that attracts so many people into the National Football League
This outcome could have created things up for the New England Patriots to move back into a leading position they used to occupy, with a remaining games that gives them an advantage over their 8-2 rivals
Meanwhile in the NFC the Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had perfect results to arrange a major confrontation in week 11, while our player of the week is chasing records as well as the Most Valuable Player award
Analysis - Simply an Off Day for the Bills?
Could it simply have been an emotional comedown from beating the Chiefs the previous week or a deeper issue? This remains the question for the Buffalo team to answer
The Buffalo squad had secured seven victories in a row against the Dolphins but were second best from the beginning as the Miami team ran out 30-13 victors in an eye-opening result - and performance
MVP Josh Allen only achieved the squad's opening first down in the third quarter and initial scoring in the fourth - admittedly the Dolphins had 10 days to prepare but it was still a significant failure produced by one of the league's top offences
Dolphins quarterback Tua passed for two scores but rusher De'Von Achane was the devastating difference, with 225 total yards and two touchdowns
Bottling up the league's best rushing attack was crucial too, with James Cook and teammates recording just 86 yards, their lowest of the year and slightly more than fifty percent their 161.5 yard season average
Additionally there were the three critical turnovers, and the two from Josh Allen specifically. An pass caught by defense in the end zone resulting in a nine-minute drive produced nothing, and his fourth-quarter fumble that Miami turned into a touchdown just two plays
It was typical 'previous Bills teams' as they shot themselves in the foot, falling into a deficit on defensive side and Josh Allen trying to overcompensate to rescue his squad from the situation - not the composed, controlled, well-balanced Bills we've witnessed this year
Miami have served up a varied performances this year so the verdict is uncertain on if this is the start of something, but for the Bills they'll need an instant response in a tough game against Tampa Bay next week as the Patriots are sneaking into a nice lead at the summit of the American Football Conference East
In Focus - New England Identify Route to Surprise Top Seed
Regarding the Patriots, they're among three different 8-2 teams in the league, all American Football Conference sides, but are they the top team?
One could pick holes in the Patriots, Denver and the Colts really for feasting on the weaker opponents, with only five of their combined twenty-four victories achieved against opponents with a positive record - and one of those was the Indianapolis defeating the Broncos
The Broncos defeated the reigning champion Eagles in Philly and are kings of the final quarter while Indianapolis can ride Jonathan Taylor, but the New England adding Sunday's win in Tampa to their primtime success in Buffalo appears to be a statement
Their two defeats came in recently appointed coach Mike Vrabel's first three contests, with seven consecutive wins, similar to Denver, from that point - but taking down Mayfield after the Bucs had a week off to prepare was significant
Maye's MVP claims won't go away, and he definitely deserves credit for courage after taking some hard tackles in Tampa but hanging in there to steer his side to victory
The defense is reliable and rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson burst onto the scene on game day with 147 yards and two exciting touchdowns of 55 and 69 yards - becoming just the fifth different ball carrier to exceed 22mph this season on his first score
Although you can debate who 'the best' is statistically, the Pats should be favourites to finish with the best record due to their remaining opponents - which features just a single matchup against a winning team, albeit a significant contest against Buffalo
Visiting the Ravens is challenging too, but the Broncos have it even tougher in the AFC West division with the Chiefs to face two times, the Los Angeles Chargers (who could also challenge for top seed but face the same problem) and also the Packers on the fixture list
The Colts also face the Chiefs, and have the Seahawks, San Francisco and two matchups with the five and four Jacksonville to contend with. There is a considerable distance to go but the door is open for a surprise top seed in the American Football Conference
Next Week - Rams & Seahawks Prepare for Next Week Showdown
Both squads with strong arguments to be better than all of the three 8-2 sides are NFC West rivals the Seahawks and Los Angeles, who both put up 40 burgers to reach seven and two before the upcoming major meeting between the two in LA
They've both secured four victories in a row, have quarterbacks in Stafford and Darnold performing at an high standard (although Darnold had ball security problems on Sunday) with excellent pass catchers, and defensive units giving up fewer than twenty points a contest
Each could realistically be without a loss as too - particularly the Rams as their pair of losses occurred in extra time against the San Francisco and then that painful defeat in Philly when they had a potentially winning kick with the final play blocked and returned by the Eagles for a score
The Seahawks also lost to San Francisco, with a last-minute score in week one, before losing to the last kick of the contest against the Buccaneers - so they are truly among the top teams in the NFL
The next matchup on Sunday could be the best of the year to date
Top Performer - Taylor
Jonathan Taylor could be on for a record season after his remarkable performance in Germany - running for 244 yards, registering three scores and adding another 42 {receiving yards