Bills' Bay Day Opens New England Route to Top Spot - Best of NFL Week 10
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Week 10 again delivered, with a major surprise for the Buffalo Bills demonstrating the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' mantra that draws so many people into the National Football League
This outcome could have created opportunities for the Patriots to move back into a leading position they formerly held, with a remaining games that provides them an advantage over their eight and two competitors
Meanwhile in the NFC the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had perfect results to set up a monster clash next week, while our top performer is chasing records as well as the MVP award
The Breakdown - Just a Bad Day for Buffalo?
Was it just an emotional letdown from beating the Chiefs last week or something more? This remains the question for the Bills to answer
The Bills had secured seven victories in a row against Miami but were outperformed from the start as the Dolphins emerged as 30-13 victors in an surprising outcome - and display
MVP Josh Allen only got the squad's opening first down in the third quarter and initial scoring in the fourth - yes Miami had ten days to prepare but it was still a significant failure laid by one of the NFL's top offences
Dolphins quarterback Tua threw two touchdowns but rusher Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 combined yards and two scores
Bottling up the NFL's top running game was crucial too, with Cook and company registering just 86 yards, their lowest of the year and slightly more than fifty percent their 161.5 yard average
Then there were the three critical ball losses, and the pair from Josh Allen specifically. An interception in the end zone resulting in a nine-minute drive yielded no points, and his fourth-quarter fumble that the Dolphins turned into a touchdown just later
It was typical 'old Buffalo' as they hurt themselves in the foot, getting into a hole on defensive side and Josh Allen trying to do too much to rescue his squad out of it - rather than the composed, controlled, balanced Buffalo team we've seen this year
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 need an immediate bounce-back in a tough game against the Buccaneers next week as the Patriots are sneaking into a comfortable advantage at the top of the American Football Conference East
Spotlight - Patriots See Path to Unexpected First Place
Regarding the New England, they're one of three eight and two teams in the league, all AFC teams, but could they be the top team?
You can find flaws in the Patriots, Denver and the Colts really for feasting on the lesser sides, with just five of their total twenty-four wins achieved against opponents with a winning record - and one example was the Indianapolis beating the Denver
Denver beat the champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are masters of the final quarter while Indy can ride Taylor, but the Patriots including Sunday's victory in Tampa to their primtime win in Orchard Park appears to be a statement
Their two defeats occurred in new head coach Mike Vrabel's first three contests, with seven consecutive wins, similar to the Broncos, from that point - but taking down Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a week off to prepare was huge
Maye's MVP claims continue to be discussed, and he definitely deserves credit for bravery after taking some savage hits in Tampa Bay but persevering to steer his side to victory
The defense is reliable and first-year rusher Henderson exploded on game day with 147 rushing yards and two exhilerating scores of 55 and 69 yards - establishing himself as just the fifth different ball carrier to exceed 22 miles per hour this season on his first score
While you can debate who 'the best' is technically, the Patriots should be favourites to finish with the top record due to their schedule - which features just one game against a winning team, although a significant contest against the Bills
Visiting Baltimore is challenging too, but the Broncos have it even tougher in the AFC West with the Kansas City to face two times, the Chargers (who might also compete for first place but face the identical challenge) and also the Green Bay on the schedule
The Colts also play the Chiefs, and have the Seahawks, 49ers and two games with the 5-4 Jacksonville to contend with. There's a considerable distance to go but the door is open for a surprise number one position in the American Football Conference
Next Week - Los Angeles and Seattle Prepare for Next Week Showdown
Two teams with strong arguments to be better than all of the three different eight and two sides are National Football Conference West rivals the Seattle and Los Angeles, who both put up forty points to go to seven and two before the upcoming Hollywood blockbuster meeting between the pair in Los Angeles
Both have won four in a row, have quarterbacks in Stafford and Darnold performing at an high standard (although Sam Darnold had turnover issues on game day) with excellent pass catchers, and defenses allowing fewer than twenty points a game
Both could realistically be without a loss as well - particularly the Los Angeles 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 last kick blocked and returned by the Philadelphia for a touchdown
Seattle also lost to the 49ers, with a last-minute score in week one, before falling to the final play of the contest against the Buccaneers - so they are genuinely two of the best sides in the NFL
The next matchup on Sunday could be the best of the season so far
Player of the Week - Jonathan Taylor
Jonathan Taylor could be on for a historic year after his incredible display in Germany - rushing for 244 rushing yards, registering three scores and contributing another 42 {receiving yards