Buffalo's Bay Day Gives New England Path to AFC East Lead - Highlights of Week 10 NFL Action
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Week 10 once more provided excitement, with a major surprise for the Buffalo Bills demonstrating the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' mantra that attracts so many people into the National Football League
This outcome may have opened things up for the Patriots to move back into a top spot they used to occupy, with a remaining games that gives them an advantage over their eight and two rivals
Over in the National Football Conference the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had perfect results to set up a monster clash next week, while our player of the week is chasing records as well as the MVP award
The Breakdown - Simply an Off Day for Buffalo?
Was it just an emotional letdown from beating the Chiefs the previous week or something more? This remains 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 beginning as the Miami team ran out 30-13 winners in an surprising result - and performance
MVP quarterback Josh Allen only got the squad's initial first down in the third quarter and initial scoring in the final quarter - admittedly the Dolphins had ten days to get ready but it was still a significant failure laid by one of the NFL's best offenses
Tua Tagovailoa threw two scores but running back De'Von Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 combined yards and two touchdowns
Bottling up the league's best rushing attack was crucial too, with Cook and company registering just eighty-six yards, their lowest of the year and slightly more than half their 161.5 yard average
Then there were the three critical turnovers, and the pair from Josh Allen specifically. An interception in the scoring area meaning a nine minute possession yielded no points, and his final quarter dropped ball that Miami converted to a touchdown just later
It was typical 'previous Bills teams' as they shot themselves in the foot, getting into a deficit on defensive side and Josh Allen trying to do too much to dig his team out of it - rather than the composed, disciplined, balanced Bills we've witnessed this season
Miami have demonstrated a bit of everything this year so the jury's out on whether this is the beginning of a trend, but for the Bills they'll require an immediate bounce-back in a tough game against the Buccaneers in week 11 as the New England are quietly moving into a comfortable advantage at the top of the American Football Conference East
Spotlight - New England Identify Route to Unexpected First Place
Speaking of the Patriots, they're one of three different eight and two squads in the league, all AFC teams, but are they the best?
You can pick holes in New England, Denver and Indianapolis actually for feasting on the lesser sides, with just five of their total 24 wins achieved against opponents with a positive record - and one of those was the Colts beating the Denver
The Broncos beat the reigning champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are kings of the final quarter while Indianapolis can ride Jonathan Taylor, but the Patriots adding Sunday's win in Tampa to their prime time win in Buffalo seems like a declaration
Their pair of losses occurred in new head coach Mike Vrabel's initial three contests, with seven consecutive wins, similar to Denver, from that point - but defeating Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a week off to prepare was huge
Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials won't go away, and he definitely earns credit for bravery after absorbing some hard tackles in Tampa but persevering to steer his team to success
The defensive unit is solid and rookie running back Henderson burst onto the scene on game day with 147 rushing yards and two exciting scores of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - becoming just the fifth runner to exceed 22mph this year on his first score
While you can argue who 'the top team' is technically, the Patriots should be favorites to finish with the best record due to their schedule - which includes just one game against a winning team, albeit a significant contest against the Bills
Visiting Baltimore is challenging too, but Denver have it more difficult in the AFC West division with the Chiefs to face two times, the Chargers (who could also compete for first place but face the identical challenge) and also the Packers on the fixture list
The Indianapolis also face the Kansas City, and have the Seahawks, San Francisco and two matchups with the five and four Jaguars to contend with. There is a long way to go but the door is available for a shock top seed in the AFC
Next Week - Los Angeles and Seattle Prepare for Next Week Showdown
Two teams with strong arguments to be superior to all of the three 8-2 teams are National Football Conference West opponents the Seahawks and Los Angeles, who each scored forty points to go to seven and two before the upcoming Hollywood blockbuster game between the two in Los Angeles
Both have secured four victories in a consecutive games, have quarterbacks in Stafford and Darnold playing at an elite level (although Darnold had ball security problems on Sunday) with excellent pass catchers, and defensive units allowing fewer than twenty points a game
Both could easily be without a loss as well - particularly the Los Angeles as their pair of losses occurred in extra time against the 49ers and then that agonising loss in Philadelphia when they had a game-winning kick with the last kick blocked and returned by the Philadelphia for a score
Seattle were also defeated to San Francisco, with a late touchdown in week one, before losing to the final play of the contest against the Tampa Bay - so they're truly two of the best sides in the NFL
The upcoming game on Sunday could be the most exciting of the season to date
Top Performer - Taylor
Jonathan Taylor might be on for a historic year after his incredible display in Berlin - rushing for 244 rushing yards, scoring three scores and adding another 42 {receiving yards