Bills' Bay Day Gives Patriots Route to AFC East Lead - Highlights of NFL Week 10
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The tenth week once more provided excitement, with a huge upset for the Buffalo Bills demonstrating the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' saying that attracts so many people into the NFL
This outcome may have opened opportunities for the New England Patriots to creep back into a top spot they formerly held, with a schedule that provides them an advantage over their eight and two competitors
Over in the National Football Conference the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had ideal outcomes to arrange a monster clash next week, while our player of the week is chasing records as well as the MVP award
Analysis - Just a Bad Day for Buffalo?
Could it simply have been an emotional comedown from defeating Kansas City last week or something more? This remains the question for the Buffalo team to answer
The Bills had won seven in a consecutive games against Miami but were second best from the beginning as the Dolphins emerged as 30-13 victors in an eye-opening outcome - and display
MVP Josh Allen only got the squad's initial first down in the third period and initial scoring in the final quarter - admittedly the Dolphins had 10 days to prepare but it was nonetheless a significant failure produced by one of the NFL's top offences
Tua Tagovailoa passed for two touchdowns but running back Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 total yards and two touchdowns
Bottling up the NFL's top running game was also key, with Cook and company recording just eighty-six yards, their fewest of the year and slightly more than half their 161.5-yard season average
Then there were the three critical turnovers, and the two from Josh Allen in particular. An interception in the end zone resulting in a nine-minute possession yielded no points, and his final quarter dropped ball that Miami converted to seven points just two plays
It was typical 'old Buffalo' as they shot themselves in the foot, getting into a deficit on defense and Josh Allen trying to overcompensate to dig his team out of it - rather than the calm, disciplined, well-balanced Bills we've witnessed this year
The Dolphins have served up a varied performances this season so the jury's out on whether this is the start of a trend, but for Buffalo they'll require an instant response in a tough game against the Buccaneers in week 11 as the Patriots are sneaking into a comfortable advantage at the summit of the AFC East
In Focus - New England See Path to Unexpected First Place
Speaking of the New England, they're one of three 8-2 squads in the league, all AFC sides, but could they be the best?
You can pick holes in the Patriots, Denver and Indianapolis actually for feasting on the weaker opponents, with just five of their combined 24 victories achieved against teams with a winning record - and one example was the Indianapolis defeating the Broncos
The Broncos beat the reigning champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are kings of the final quarter while Indy can ride Jonathan Taylor, but the New England including Sunday's win in Tampa Bay to their primtime win in Buffalo seems like a declaration
Their pair of losses came in new head coach Vrabel's initial three games, with seven straight wins, just like Denver, from that point - but defeating Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a bye to prepare was huge
Drake Maye's MVP claims won't go away, and he definitely earns credit for courage after absorbing some hard tackles in Tampa but persevering to guide his side to success
The defensive unit is reliable and rookie rusher Henderson burst onto the scene on Sunday with 147 yards and two exhilerating touchdowns of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - establishing himself as just the fifth runner to break 22 miles per hour this season on his initial touchdown
While 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 features just one game against a winning team, although a huge one against Buffalo
Traveling to Baltimore is challenging too, but Denver have it more difficult in the AFC West with the Chiefs to play twice, the Chargers (who could also compete for first place but encounter the identical challenge) and additionally the Green Bay on the fixture list
The Indianapolis also play the Chiefs, and have the Seahawks, 49ers and two games with the five and four Jacksonville to contend with. There's a long way to go but the door is available for a surprise number one position in the American Football Conference
Next Week - Rams & Seahawks Prepare for Next Week Showdown
Two teams with solid claims to be better than all of the three different eight and two teams are NFC West opponents the Seattle and Los Angeles, who each scored forty points to go to seven and two before the upcoming major meeting between the pair in Los Angeles
They've both secured four victories in a consecutive games, have quarterbacks in Stafford and Darnold playing at an elite level (although Sam Darnold had ball security problems on game day) with top receivers, and defenses allowing fewer than twenty points a game
Both could realistically be undefeated as well - particularly the Los Angeles as their two defeats came in overtime against the San Francisco and then that painful defeat in Philly when they had a game-winning field goal with the last kick blocked and returned by the Eagles for a touchdown
Seattle were also defeated to San Francisco, with a last-minute score in the opening week, before falling to the last kick of the game against the Tampa Bay - so they are genuinely two of the top teams in the NFL
The next matchup on Sunday could be the best of the season to date
Top Performer - Taylor
Taylor might be on for a historic year after his incredible display in Berlin - running for 244 yards, scoring three scores and adding an additional forty-two {receiving yards