Bills' Bay Day Opens New England Route to AFC East Lead - Best of Week 10 NFL Action
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The tenth week once more provided excitement, with a major surprise for the Buffalo Bills proving the 'any given Sunday' saying that attracts so many fans into the NFL
That result may have opened things up for the Patriots to creep back into a top spot they used to occupy, with a schedule that provides them an edge over their eight and two rivals
Meanwhile in the National Football Conference the Seahawks and Rams had perfect results to arrange a monster clash in week 11, while our top performer is chasing records as well as the MVP award
Analysis - Just a Bad Day for Buffalo?
Was it just an emotional comedown from beating the Chiefs the previous week or a deeper issue? That's the question for the Bills to answer
The Bills had won seven in a row against the Dolphins but were outperformed from the beginning as the Dolphins ran out 30-13 winners in an eye-opening result - and display
MVP quarterback Josh Allen only achieved the squad's initial first down in the third quarter and first points in the final quarter - admittedly Miami had ten days to prepare but it was nonetheless a significant failure laid by one of the NFL's top offences
Dolphins quarterback Tua threw two touchdowns but running back De'Von Achane was the devastating difference, with 225 combined yards and two touchdowns
Bottling up the league's best rushing attack was crucial too, with Cook and teammates registering just 86 yards, their lowest of the year and just over fifty percent their 161.5 yard season average
Additionally there were the three critical turnovers, and the two 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 the Dolphins turned into a touchdown just later
It was typical 'old Buffalo' as they hurt themselves in the foot, falling into a hole on defensive side and Allen attempting to overcompensate to dig his team out of it - rather than the calm, disciplined, well-balanced Bills we've seen this season
The Dolphins have demonstrated a bit of everything this year so the verdict is uncertain on if this is the beginning of a trend, but for Buffalo they'll require an instant response 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 American Football Conference East
Spotlight - Patriots See Path to Unexpected First Place
Speaking of the Patriots, they're one of three different eight and two teams in the league, all American Football Conference sides, but could they be the top team?
You can pick holes in New England, the Broncos and the Colts really for dominating the lesser sides, with just five of their total 24 victories achieved against opponents with a positive record - and one of those was the Colts defeating the Denver
The Broncos defeated the champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are kings of the final quarter while Indianapolis can rely on Jonathan Taylor, but the Patriots adding Sunday's victory in Tampa to their prime time win in Orchard Park seems like a declaration
Their pair of losses occurred in new head coach Vrabel's first three games, with seven straight wins, just like Denver, from that point - but defeating Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a week off to get ready was significant
Maye's MVP claims continue to be discussed, and he certainly deserves point for bravery after absorbing some hard tackles in Tampa but persevering to guide his team to success
The defense is reliable and first-year running back Henderson exploded on Sunday with 147 rushing yards and two exciting touchdowns of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - establishing himself as just the fifth ball carrier to exceed 22mph this season on his first score
Although you can debate who 'the top team' is technically, the Patriots should be favourites to end with the best record due to their remaining opponents - which includes just a single matchup against a winning team, albeit a huge one against Buffalo
Traveling to Baltimore is challenging too, but the Broncos have it even tougher in the AFC West with the Chiefs to play twice, the Los Angeles Chargers (who could also challenge for first place but face the identical challenge) and additionally the Packers on the fixture list
The Colts also face the Chiefs, and have the Seattle, 49ers and two matchups with the 5-4 Jacksonville to contend with. There's a long way to go but the opportunity is available for a surprise top seed in the American Football Conference
Next Week - Los Angeles and Seattle Prepare for Next Week Clash
Two teams with strong arguments to be better than all of the three 8-2 teams are National Football Conference West opponents the Seahawks and Los Angeles, who each put up 40 burgers to go to seven and two ahead of next week's major game between the two in Los Angeles
They've both secured four victories in a consecutive games, have signal callers in Stafford and Sam Darnold playing at an elite level (although Sam Darnold had ball security problems on game day) with excellent pass catchers, and defensive units giving up under 20 points a game
Each could realistically be undefeated as too - particularly the Los Angeles as their two defeats occurred in overtime against the San Francisco and then that painful defeat in Philly when they had a game-winning kick with the last kick blocked and run back by the Philadelphia for a score
Seattle also lost to the 49ers, with a last-minute score in week one, before losing to the final play of the game against the Tampa Bay - so they're truly two of the top teams in the league
The upcoming game on Sunday could be the best of the year to date
Top Performer - Taylor
Taylor could be on for a record season after his remarkable performance in Berlin - rushing for 244 rushing yards, scoring three scores and contributing an additional 42 {receiving yards