Bills' Disappointing Performance Opens New England Path to AFC East Lead - Best of NFL Week 10
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Week 10 again delivered, with a major surprise for the Bills proving the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' saying that draws so many people into the NFL
That result could have created things up for the New England 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 competitors
Meanwhile in the National Football Conference the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had perfect results to set up a major confrontation next week, while our top performer 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 beating the Chiefs last week or a deeper issue? That's the question for the Bills to address
The Buffalo squad had secured seven victories in a consecutive games against the Dolphins but were outperformed from the beginning as the Miami team emerged as 30-13 winners in an surprising result - and display
MVP quarterback Josh Allen only achieved the team's initial first down in the third period 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 league's top offences
Dolphins quarterback Tua threw two touchdowns but running back De'Von Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 total yards and two touchdowns
Bottling up the NFL's top running game was crucial too, with James Cook and teammates recording just eighty-six yards, their fewest of the season and slightly more than half their 161.5 yard average
Additionally there were the three critical turnovers, and the pair from Allen in particular. An interception in the end zone meaning a nine minute drive yielded no points, and his fourth-quarter fumble that the Dolphins converted to a touchdown just later
It was typical 'previous Bills teams' as they hurt themselves in the foot, getting into a deficit on defense and Josh Allen attempting to do too much to rescue his squad from the situation - rather than the calm, disciplined, balanced Bills we've seen this season
The Dolphins have served up a varied performances this year so the jury's out on if this is the start 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 sneaking into a nice lead at the summit of the AFC East
In Focus - Patriots See Path to Surprise Top Seed
Speaking of the New England, they're among three 8-2 squads in the NFL, all American Football Conference teams, but could they be the best?
One could pick holes in the Patriots, the Broncos and Indianapolis actually for dominating the weaker opponents, with just five of their combined 24 victories achieved against opponents with a positive record - and one example was the Colts defeating the Broncos
Denver beat the reigning champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are masters of the fourth-quarter while Indy can rely on Taylor, but the New England adding Sunday's win in Tampa to their primtime win in Buffalo appears to be a statement
Their two defeats occurred in new head coach Mike Vrabel's initial three contests, with seven consecutive victories, similar to Denver, from that point - but taking down Baker Mayfield after the Bucs had a bye to get ready was huge
Drake Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials continue to be discussed, and he certainly deserves credit for courage after taking some hard tackles in Tampa Bay but persevering to guide his side to success
The defensive unit is solid and rookie running back Henderson exploded on Sunday with 147 rushing yards and two exhilerating scores of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - becoming just the fifth different runner to break 22mph this year on his first score
Although you can debate who 'the best' is technically, the Patriots should be favorites to finish with the best record thanks to their schedule - which includes just one game against a successful opponent, although a huge one against Buffalo
Traveling to Baltimore is challenging too, but Denver have it even tougher in the AFC West with the Kansas City to face two times, the Los Angeles Chargers (who could also challenge for top seed but encounter the same problem) and also the Green Bay on the fixture list
The Colts also face the Chiefs, and have the Seahawks, 49ers and two games with the five and four Jacksonville to face. There's a considerable distance to go but the opportunity is open for a shock number one position in the AFC
Next Week - Los Angeles and Seattle Set for Week 11 Clash
Two teams with solid claims to be better than all of the three eight and two sides are NFC West opponents the Seattle and Los Angeles, who each put up forty points to reach seven and two before the upcoming major meeting between the two in LA
They've both won four in a consecutive games, have quarterbacks in Matthew Stafford and Darnold performing at an elite level (although Darnold had turnover issues on Sunday) with top receivers, and defensive units giving up fewer than twenty points a game
Each could realistically be without a loss as too - particularly the Los Angeles as their two defeats occurred in overtime against the San Francisco and then that agonising loss in Philadelphia when they had a game-winning kick with the last kick blocked and run back by the Philadelphia for a touchdown
Seattle were also defeated to San Francisco, with a last-minute score in week one, before losing to the final play of the game against the Tampa Bay - so they are genuinely two of the top teams in the NFL
The upcoming game on Sunday could be the most exciting of the year to date
Top Performer - Jonathan Taylor
Taylor could be on for a record season after his remarkable performance in Berlin - running for 244 rushing yards, registering three touchdowns and contributing another forty-two {receiving yards