Bills' Bay Day Gives Patriots Path to AFC East Lead - Best of NFL Week 10
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The tenth week again delivered, with a huge upset for the Buffalo Bills proving the 'any given Sunday' mantra that attracts so many fans into the NFL
This outcome could have created things up for the Patriots to creep back into a leading position they formerly held, with a remaining games that gives them an edge over their 8-2 competitors
Meanwhile in the NFC the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had perfect results to arrange a major confrontation in week 11, while our player of the week is pursuing milestones as well as the Most Valuable Player award
The Breakdown - Simply an Off Day for Buffalo?
Could it simply have been an emotional letdown from defeating Kansas City the previous week or something more? That's the question for the Bills to answer
The Bills had secured seven victories in a row against the Dolphins but were outperformed from the start as the Dolphins emerged as 30-13 winners in an eye-opening result - and performance
MVP quarterback Josh Allen only achieved the squad's opening first down in the third quarter and first points in the final quarter - yes Miami had 10 days to get ready but it was nonetheless a significant failure produced by one of the NFL's best offenses
Dolphins quarterback Tua threw two scores but rusher Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 combined yards and two touchdowns
Bottling up the NFL's top running game was also key, with James Cook and company registering just eighty-six yards, their lowest of the season and just over half their 161.5 yard average
Then there were the three crucial ball losses, and the two from Allen in particular. An pass caught by defense in the end zone meaning a nine minute drive produced nothing, and his fourth-quarter fumble that the Dolphins turned into a touchdown just two plays
It was typical 'old Buffalo' as they hurt themselves in the foot, falling into a deficit on defensive side and Allen attempting to do too much to rescue his squad out of it - rather than the composed, controlled, balanced Buffalo team we've seen this year
Miami have served up a bit of everything this year so the jury's out on if this is the beginning of something, but for Buffalo they'll need an immediate bounce-back in a tough game against Tampa Bay next week as the Patriots are sneaking into a comfortable advantage at the top of the AFC East
Spotlight - New England See Path to Unexpected First Place
Regarding the New England, they're among three different 8-2 teams in the league, all AFC sides, but are they the best?
You can pick holes in the Patriots, Denver and the Colts actually for dominating the lesser sides, with just five of their combined 24 victories coming against teams with a positive record - and one of those was the Colts beating the Broncos
Denver defeated the reigning champion Eagles in Philly and are masters of the final quarter while Indianapolis can rely on Jonathan Taylor, but the Patriots including Sunday's win 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 Vrabel's initial three games, with seven straight wins, just like Denver, from that point - but taking down Baker Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a bye to prepare was significant
Drake Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials won't go away, and he certainly earns point for bravery after absorbing some hard tackles in Tampa Bay but hanging in there to guide his side to victory
The defense is reliable and first-year rusher TreVeyon 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 different ball carrier to exceed 22mph this season on his initial touchdown
While you can argue who 'the best' is statistically, the Pats should be favourites to end with the top record due to their schedule - which features just a single matchup against a winning team, albeit a significant contest against Buffalo
Traveling to Baltimore is also tough, but the Broncos have it more difficult in the AFC West with the Kansas City to face two times, the Chargers (who might also compete for first place but encounter the same problem) and also the Packers on the fixture list
The Indianapolis also play the Kansas City, and have the Seattle, San Francisco and two matchups with the five and four Jacksonville to face. There's a long way to travel but the door is available for a shock number one position 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 different 8-2 sides are National Football Conference West opponents the Seattle and Los Angeles, who both put up forty points to reach 7-2 ahead of next week's major meeting between the pair in LA
Both have secured four victories in a consecutive games, have quarterbacks in Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold performing at an elite level (although Darnold had ball security problems on game day) with excellent pass catchers, and defenses giving up fewer than twenty points a contest
Each could easily be without a loss as well - especially the Rams as their two defeats came in extra time against the 49ers and then that agonising loss in Philadelphia when they had a potentially winning kick with the final play blocked and returned by the Eagles for a touchdown
Seattle also lost to the 49ers, with a last-minute score in week one, before falling to the last kick of the game against the Buccaneers - so they're genuinely among the best sides in the league
The upcoming game on Sunday could be the most exciting of the season so far
Top Performer - Jonathan Taylor
Taylor might be on for a historic year after his incredible display in Germany - running for 244 rushing yards, registering three touchdowns and adding an additional forty-two {receiving yards