Bills' Disappointing Performance Opens New England Path to Top Spot - Best 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
That result could have created opportunities for the Patriots to creep back into a leading position they formerly held, with a remaining games that gives them an advantage over their eight and two rivals
Meanwhile in the NFC the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had perfect results to set up a major confrontation next week, while our top performer is chasing records as well as the MVP award
Analysis - Just a Bad Day for the Bills?
Was it just an emotional letdown from beating the Chiefs last week or something more? That's 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 Miami team emerged as 30-13 victors in an surprising outcome - and performance
MVP Josh Allen only achieved 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 nonetheless a massive egg produced by one of the league's best offenses
Tua Tagovailoa passed for two touchdowns but running back De'Von 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 recording just 86 yards, their lowest of the season and slightly more than fifty percent their 161.5 yard average
Then there were the three crucial turnovers, and the pair from Allen specifically. An pass caught by defense in the end zone resulting in a nine minute drive yielded no points, and his final quarter fumble that Miami turned into a touchdown just later
It was typical 'old Buffalo' as they shot themselves in the foot, getting into a deficit on defense and Allen trying to do too much to dig his team out of it - not the calm, controlled, balanced Buffalo team we've witnessed 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 Buffalo they'll require an immediate bounce-back in a tough game against Tampa Bay next week as the New England are quietly moving into a comfortable advantage at the top of the AFC East
In Focus - Patriots Identify Route to Surprise Top Seed
Regarding the Patriots, they're one of three different eight and two squads in the NFL, all AFC sides, but could they be the best?
You can pick holes in the Patriots, Denver and Indianapolis really for feasting on the weaker opponents, with just five of their combined twenty-four victories achieved against opponents with a winning record - and one of those was the Colts defeating the Denver
The Broncos defeated the champion Eagles in Philly and are masters of the final quarter while Indianapolis can rely on Jonathan Taylor, but the Patriots adding Sunday's win in Tampa Bay to their prime time success in Buffalo appears to be a statement
Their pair of losses occurred in new head coach Vrabel's first three games, with seven consecutive wins, just like Denver, since then - but taking down Mayfield after the Bucs had a bye to prepare was significant
Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials won't go away, and he definitely earns point for bravery after taking some hard tackles in Tampa Bay but persevering to guide his team to success
The defense is reliable and rookie running back Henderson burst onto the scene on game day with 147 rushing yards and two exhilerating scores of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - establishing himself as just the fifth different runner to exceed 22 miles per hour 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 thanks to their schedule - which features just one game against a successful opponent, albeit a significant contest against Buffalo
Visiting the Ravens is challenging too, but Denver have it even tougher in the AFC West division with the Kansas City to face two times, the Los Angeles Chargers (who might also compete for top seed but encounter the identical challenge) and additionally the Green Bay on the schedule
The Indianapolis also face the Chiefs, and have the Seahawks, San Francisco and two matchups with the five and four Jaguars to contend with. There's a long way to travel but the door is available for a surprise top seed in the American Football Conference
Next Week - Rams & Seahawks Prepare for Next Week Showdown
Both squads with solid claims to be better than all of the three 8-2 sides are NFC West rivals the Seahawks and Los Angeles, who both put up forty points to go to 7-2 ahead of next week's Hollywood blockbuster meeting between the pair in Los Angeles
They've both secured four victories in a consecutive games, have quarterbacks in Matthew Stafford and Darnold playing at an elite level (although Sam Darnold had ball security problems on Sunday) with top receivers, and defensive units giving up fewer than twenty points a game
Each could realistically be undefeated as well - especially the Rams as their pair of losses came in overtime against the 49ers and then that agonising loss in Philly when they had a game-winning kick with the last kick blocked and returned by the Philadelphia for a score
The Seahawks also lost to San Francisco, with a late touchdown in week one, before losing to the final play of the game against the Buccaneers - so they're genuinely among the best sides in the league
The next matchup on Sunday could be the best of the season to date
Top Performer - Taylor
Jonathan Taylor could be on for a record season after his remarkable performance in Germany - rushing for 244 yards, scoring three scores and adding an additional forty-two {receiving yards