Bills' Bay Day Gives New England Route to Top Spot - Best of NFL Week 10
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The tenth week once more provided excitement, 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
That result could have created things up for the New England Patriots to move back into a leading position they formerly held, 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 ideal outcomes to set up a major confrontation in week 11, while our player of the week is chasing records as well as the Most Valuable Player award
Analysis - Just a Bad Day for the Bills?
Could it simply have been an emotional letdown from defeating Kansas City last week or something more? That's the question for the Buffalo team to answer
The Buffalo squad had won seven in a row against Miami but were outperformed from the start as the Dolphins ran out 30-13 winners in an eye-opening result - and display
MVP Josh Allen only got the team's opening first down in the third period and first points in the final quarter - admittedly the Dolphins had 10 days to prepare but it was still a massive egg laid by one of the league's top offences
Dolphins quarterback Tua passed for two touchdowns but rusher Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 total yards and two touchdowns
Bottling up the league's best running game was crucial too, with James Cook and company recording just 86 yards, their fewest of the season and just over fifty percent their 161.5 yard average
Additionally there were the three critical turnovers, and the pair from Josh Allen specifically. An interception in the scoring area resulting in a nine-minute drive produced nothing, and his final quarter fumble that the Dolphins converted to a touchdown just later
It was classic 'old Buffalo' as they shot themselves in the foot, falling into a deficit on defense and Josh Allen trying to do too much to dig his team out of it - rather than the calm, disciplined, balanced Buffalo team we've witnessed this year
Miami have served up a bit of everything this season so the verdict is uncertain on whether this is the beginning of a trend, but for Buffalo they'll require an immediate bounce-back in a difficult matchup against the Buccaneers in week 11 as the Patriots are quietly moving into a nice lead at the summit of the American Football Conference East
In Focus - New England Identify Route to Surprise Top Seed
Regarding the New England, they're among three different eight and two squads in the NFL, all AFC sides, but could they be the top team?
You can pick holes in the Patriots, the Broncos and Indianapolis actually for feasting on the weaker opponents, with just five of their combined 24 wins achieved against teams with a positive record - and one example was the Colts beating the Denver
The Broncos defeated the reigning champion Eagles in Philly and are kings of the fourth-quarter while Indianapolis can rely on Taylor, but the New England adding Sunday's victory in Tampa Bay to their prime time success in Orchard Park appears to be a declaration
Their pair of losses came in new head coach Mike Vrabel's initial three games, with seven straight wins, just like Denver, since then - but taking down Baker Mayfield after the Bucs had a week off to prepare was huge
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 side to success
The defensive unit is solid and first-year running back Henderson burst onto the scene on Sunday with 147 rushing yards and two exciting scores of 55 and 69 yards - becoming just the fifth different runner to exceed 22 miles per hour this season on his first score
Although you can debate who 'the top team' is technically, the Patriots should be favorites to finish with the top record thanks to their schedule - which includes just a single matchup against a winning team, albeit a significant contest against the Bills
Visiting Baltimore is challenging too, but Denver have it more difficult in the AFC West division with the Kansas City to play twice, the Los Angeles Chargers (who could also challenge for top seed but face the same problem) and additionally the Packers on the schedule
The Indianapolis also play the Chiefs, and have the Seattle, San Francisco and two games with the five and four Jacksonville to face. There is a long way to travel but the opportunity is open for a surprise top seed in the AFC
Coming Up - Los Angeles and Seattle Prepare for Next Week Showdown
Both squads with solid claims to be better than all of the three 8-2 sides are NFC West opponents the Seattle and Rams, who both put up forty points to go to 7-2 ahead of next week's major meeting between the two in Los Angeles
Both have won four in a row, have quarterbacks in Stafford and Sam Darnold performing at an elite level (although Darnold had ball security problems on game day) with top receivers, and defensive units giving up under 20 points a contest
Each could realistically be undefeated as well - particularly the Los Angeles as their pair of losses came in overtime against the San Francisco and then that painful defeat in Philadelphia when they had a game-winning field goal with the final play deflected and run back by the Philadelphia for a touchdown
The Seahawks also lost to the 49ers, with a late touchdown in the opening week, before falling to the last kick of the contest against the Tampa Bay - so they are truly two of the best sides in the league
The next matchup on Sunday could be the most exciting of the season so far
Player of the Week - Taylor
Taylor could be on for a record season after his incredible display in Berlin - rushing for 244 yards, registering three scores and contributing another forty-two {receiving yards