Buffalo's Disappointing Performance Opens New England Path to Top Spot - Best of NFL Week 10
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Week 10 once more provided excitement, with a huge upset for the Buffalo Bills proving the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' mantra that draws so many people into the National Football League
This outcome could have created things up for the Patriots to creep back into a top spot they used to occupy, with a remaining games that provides them an advantage over their 8-2 rivals
Meanwhile in the NFC the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had perfect results to set up a major confrontation in week 11, while our player of the week is pursuing milestones as well as the MVP award
Analysis - Simply an Off Day for the Bills?
Could it simply have been an emotional letdown from defeating Kansas City the previous week or a deeper issue? This remains the question for the Buffalo team to address
The Buffalo squad had secured seven victories in a consecutive games against Miami but were outperformed from the beginning as the Miami team ran out 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 initial scoring in the final quarter - admittedly the Dolphins had ten days to prepare but it was nonetheless a significant failure produced by one of the NFL's best offenses
Tua Tagovailoa threw two touchdowns but rusher De'Von Achane was the devastating difference, with 225 combined yards and two scores
Bottling up the NFL's top running game was crucial too, with James Cook and teammates registering just 86 yards, their fewest of the season and slightly more than half their 161.5-yard season average
Then there were the three crucial ball losses, and the two from Allen specifically. An pass caught by defense in the end zone meaning a nine minute possession produced nothing, and his final quarter dropped ball that the Dolphins turned into a touchdown just later
It was classic 'previous Bills teams' as they hurt themselves in the foot, getting into a deficit on defense and Allen attempting to do too much to rescue his squad out of it - rather than the composed, disciplined, well-balanced Bills we've seen this year
The Dolphins have demonstrated a varied performances this year so the verdict is uncertain on whether this is the beginning of something, but for Buffalo they'll require an instant response in a difficult matchup against the Buccaneers next week as the New England are sneaking into a nice lead at the summit of the AFC East
Spotlight - New England Identify Route to Surprise Top Seed
Regarding the Patriots, they're one of three different 8-2 squads in the NFL, all AFC sides, but could they be the top team?
You can find flaws in the Patriots, the Broncos and the Colts actually for dominating the lesser sides, with only five of their total twenty-four victories coming against opponents with a winning record - and one of those was the Indianapolis beating the Denver
The Broncos defeated the reigning champion Eagles in Philly and are masters of the final quarter while Indianapolis can ride Taylor, but the New England including Sunday's win in Tampa Bay to their prime time success in Buffalo seems like a statement
Their pair of losses came in recently appointed coach Mike Vrabel's first three games, with seven consecutive victories, similar to Denver, from that point - but defeating Baker Mayfield after the Bucs had a week off to get ready was huge
Drake Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials continue to be discussed, and he definitely deserves credit for bravery after taking some savage hits in Tampa but persevering to guide his side to victory
The defense is solid and first-year running back TreVeyon Henderson burst onto the scene on Sunday with 147 rushing yards and two exciting scores of 55 and 69 yards - establishing himself as just the fifth runner to break 22mph this season on his first score
Although you can debate who 'the best' is technically, the Patriots should be favourites to end with the best record thanks to their remaining opponents - which features just one game against a successful opponent, although a huge one against Buffalo
Traveling to Baltimore is challenging too, but Denver have it more difficult in the AFC West with the Kansas City to play twice, the Chargers (who could also compete for top seed but face the same problem) and also the Green Bay on the fixture list
The Indianapolis also face the Kansas City, and have the Seattle, San Francisco and two games with the five and four Jaguars to contend with. There's a considerable distance to travel but the door is open for a surprise number one position in the American Football Conference
Next Week - Los Angeles and Seattle Set for Next Week Showdown
Both squads with strong arguments to be better than all of the three eight and two sides are NFC West opponents the Seattle and Los Angeles, who both scored forty points to reach 7-2 before the upcoming Hollywood blockbuster meeting between the pair in Los Angeles
Both have secured four victories in a consecutive games, have signal callers in Stafford and Sam Darnold performing at an elite level (although Sam Darnold had ball security problems on game day) with excellent pass catchers, and defensive units allowing fewer than twenty points a game
Each could easily be undefeated as well - particularly 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 last kick blocked and run back by the Eagles for a touchdown
The Seahawks were also defeated to San Francisco, with a last-minute score in the opening week, before losing to the last kick of the contest against the Buccaneers - so they're genuinely two of the best sides in the league
The upcoming game on Sunday could be the best of the season so far
Player of the Week - Taylor
Jonathan Taylor might be on for a record season after his remarkable performance in Germany - running for 244 rushing yards, registering three touchdowns and adding an additional 42 {receiving yards