Bills' Bay Day Opens New England Path to AFC East Lead - Best of NFL Week 10
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The tenth week once more provided excitement, with a major surprise for the Buffalo Bills proving 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 creep back into a top spot they formerly held, with a remaining games that provides them an advantage over their 8-2 rivals
Meanwhile in the NFC the Seahawks and Rams had ideal outcomes to set up a major confrontation in week 11, while our top performer is chasing records as well as the MVP award
The Breakdown - Just a Bad Day for Buffalo?
Could it simply have been an emotional letdown from beating the Chiefs the previous week or a deeper issue? That's the question for the Bills to address
The Bills had secured seven victories in a consecutive games against the Dolphins but were outperformed from the start as the Dolphins emerged as 30-13 victors in an surprising outcome - and performance
MVP quarterback Josh Allen only got the team's initial first down in the third quarter and initial scoring in the final quarter - yes the Dolphins had ten days to get ready but it was still a massive egg produced by one of the NFL's top offences
Dolphins quarterback Tua passed for two touchdowns but rusher De'Von Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 combined yards and two scores
Bottling up the league's best rushing attack was crucial too, with James Cook and company registering just eighty-six yards, their fewest of the year and just over fifty percent their 161.5-yard season average
Then there were the three crucial ball losses, and the two from Josh Allen in particular. An interception in the scoring area meaning a nine-minute drive yielded no points, and his fourth-quarter fumble that the Dolphins converted to seven points just later
It was classic 'previous Bills teams' as they hurt themselves in the foot, getting into a deficit on defensive side and Josh Allen attempting to overcompensate to dig his team out of it - not the calm, controlled, well-balanced Bills we've witnessed this year
The Dolphins have demonstrated a varied performances this year so the jury's out on if this is the beginning of a trend, but for the Bills they'll require an immediate bounce-back in a tough game against Tampa Bay next week as the New England are sneaking into a nice lead at the top of the American Football Conference East
In Focus - New England Identify Route to Surprise Top Seed
Speaking of the New England, they're among three 8-2 squads in the league, all American Football Conference sides, but are they the top team?
One could find flaws in the Patriots, Denver and the Colts actually for dominating the lesser sides, with only five of their combined 24 victories achieved against teams with a winning record - and one example was the Colts defeating the Denver
The Broncos defeated the reigning champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are kings of the final quarter while Indianapolis can rely on Taylor, but the Patriots adding Sunday's victory in Tampa to their primtime success in Orchard Park seems like a statement
Their two defeats occurred in recently appointed coach Mike Vrabel's first three contests, with seven straight wins, just like the Broncos, since then - but defeating Baker Mayfield after the Bucs had a bye to get ready was significant
Drake Maye's MVP claims won't go away, and he certainly earns point for bravery after absorbing some savage hits in Tampa but persevering to steer his team to victory
The defense is reliable and first-year rusher TreVeyon Henderson burst onto the scene on Sunday with 147 rushing yards and two exciting scores of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - becoming just the fifth different ball carrier to break 22 miles per hour this season on his first score
Although you can debate who 'the best' is statistically, the Patriots should be favorites to end with the top record due to their schedule - which includes just a single matchup against a successful opponent, albeit a huge one against the Bills
Visiting the Ravens is challenging too, but the Broncos have it even tougher in the AFC West division with the Kansas City to face two times, the Chargers (who could also challenge for first place but encounter the same problem) and also the Green Bay on the schedule
The Colts also face the Chiefs, and have the Seahawks, San Francisco and two games with the 5-4 Jaguars to face. There is a considerable distance to go but the door is available for a shock top seed in the American Football Conference
Coming Up - Rams & Seahawks Prepare for Next Week Showdown
Two teams with solid claims to be better than all of the three eight and two teams are NFC West rivals the Seahawks and Rams, who each scored 40 burgers to reach 7-2 ahead of the upcoming major game between the two in Los Angeles
Both have won four in a row, have signal callers in Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold performing at an high standard (although Darnold had turnover issues on Sunday) with top receivers, and defensive units allowing under 20 points a contest
Each could realistically be without a loss as too - especially the Rams as their pair of losses occurred in extra time against the San Francisco 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 falling to the last kick of the game against the Buccaneers - so they're truly among the top teams in the NFL
The upcoming game on Sunday could be the best of the season so far
Top Performer - Jonathan Taylor
Taylor might be on for a historic year after his remarkable performance in Berlin - rushing for 244 rushing yards, scoring three touchdowns and contributing an additional forty-two {receiving yards