Bills' Bay Day Gives New England Route to AFC East Lead - Highlights of NFL Week 10
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Week 10 once more provided excitement, with a huge upset for the Buffalo Bills demonstrating the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' mantra that attracts so many people into the National Football League
That result could have created opportunities for the New England Patriots to move back into a leading position they used to occupy, with a remaining games 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 set up a monster clash next week, while our top performer is chasing records as well as the Most Valuable Player award
Analysis - Simply an Off 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 address
The Bills had won seven in a row against the Dolphins but were second best from the start as the Dolphins emerged as 30-13 victors in an surprising result - and performance
MVP quarterback Josh Allen only got the squad's initial first down in the third period and first points in the fourth - admittedly the Dolphins had 10 days to get ready but it was nonetheless a massive egg produced by one of the league's best offenses
Dolphins quarterback Tua passed for two scores but rusher De'Von Achane was the devastating difference, with 225 total yards and two touchdowns
Bottling up the NFL's top running game was also key, with James Cook and teammates recording just eighty-six yards, their fewest of the season and just over fifty percent their 161.5-yard season average
Additionally there were the three critical ball losses, and the two from Josh Allen in particular. An pass caught by defense in the end zone meaning a nine-minute possession produced nothing, and his final quarter dropped ball that Miami converted to seven points just later
It was classic 'old Buffalo' as they hurt themselves in the foot, falling into a deficit on defense and Allen trying to do too much to dig his team out of it - rather than the composed, disciplined, well-balanced Buffalo team we've witnessed this season
Miami have demonstrated a varied performances this year so the jury's out on whether this is the start of a trend, but for Buffalo they'll need an immediate bounce-back in a tough game against the Buccaneers next week as the New England are quietly moving into a nice lead at the top of the American Football Conference East
Spotlight - Patriots Identify Route to Surprise Top Seed
Speaking of the New England, they're among three 8-2 teams in the NFL, all AFC teams, but could they be the best?
One could find flaws in New England, the Broncos and the Colts actually for dominating the lesser sides, with only five of their combined twenty-four wins achieved against opponents with a positive record - and one example was the Indianapolis defeating the Denver
Denver beat the champion Eagles in Philly and are masters of the fourth-quarter while Indy can ride Jonathan Taylor, but the New England including Sunday's win in Tampa to their prime time success in Orchard Park appears to be a statement
Their pair of losses came in new head coach Vrabel's first three contests, with seven straight wins, just like the Broncos, from that point - but taking down Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a week off to get ready was significant
Drake Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials won't go away, and he certainly earns point for courage after absorbing some hard tackles in Tampa but persevering to steer his team to victory
The defensive unit is reliable and rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson exploded on game day with 147 yards and two exciting touchdowns of 55 and 69 yards - establishing himself as just the fifth ball carrier to break 22mph this year on his initial touchdown
While you can debate who 'the top team' is technically, the Pats should be favourites to end with the top record thanks to their remaining opponents - which features just one game against a successful opponent, 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 might also challenge for first place but face the identical challenge) and additionally the Green Bay on the schedule
The Colts also play the Kansas City, and have the Seahawks, San Francisco and two matchups with the 5-4 Jaguars to contend with. There is a long way to go but the opportunity is available for a shock top seed in the American Football Conference
Next Week - Los Angeles and Seattle Prepare for Next Week Showdown
Both squads with strong arguments to be superior to all of the three different 8-2 sides are National Football Conference West rivals the Seattle and Los Angeles, who both scored forty points to reach seven and two before next week's major meeting between the pair in LA
They've both won four in a row, have signal callers in Matthew Stafford and Darnold playing at an elite level (although Darnold had ball security problems on Sunday) with top receivers, and defensive units allowing under 20 points a contest
Each could realistically be undefeated as too - especially the Los Angeles as their two defeats came in overtime against the 49ers and then that painful defeat in Philadelphia when they had a potentially winning kick with the final play deflected and returned by the Philadelphia for a score
The Seahawks were also defeated to San Francisco, with a last-minute score in week one, before losing to the final play of the contest against the Tampa Bay - so they're truly among the best sides in the NFL
The upcoming game on Sunday could be the most exciting of the year to date
Top Performer - Taylor
Taylor might be on for a record season after his incredible display in Germany - rushing for 244 yards, scoring three touchdowns and adding an additional 42 {receiving yards