Buffalo's Bay Day Gives New England Route to Top Spot - Highlights of NFL Week 10
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The tenth week again delivered, with a major surprise for the Buffalo Bills demonstrating the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' saying that attracts so many people into the National Football League
That result may have opened things up for the New England Patriots to move back into a top spot they formerly held, with a schedule that gives them an edge over their eight and two rivals
Over in the National Football Conference the Seahawks and Rams had perfect results to set up a major confrontation in week 11, while our top performer 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 the previous week or something more? That's the question for the Buffalo team to answer
The Buffalo squad had won seven in a row against the Dolphins but were outperformed from the start as the Miami team ran out 30-13 victors in an surprising result - and display
MVP Josh Allen only got the squad's initial first down in the third period and initial scoring in the final quarter - admittedly the Dolphins had 10 days to get ready but it was still a significant failure laid by one of the league's best offenses
Tua Tagovailoa threw two scores but running back Achane was the devastating difference, with 225 combined yards and two touchdowns
Bottling up the NFL's top rushing attack was crucial too, with Cook and teammates registering just 86 yards, their lowest of the year and just over fifty percent their 161.5 yard season average
Then there were the three critical turnovers, and the two from Allen in particular. An interception in the end zone resulting in a nine-minute drive yielded no points, and his final quarter fumble that the Dolphins turned into a touchdown just two plays
It was typical 'previous Bills teams' as they hurt themselves in the foot, falling into a hole on defense and Josh Allen attempting to do too much to dig his team from the situation - rather than the composed, controlled, balanced Bills we've seen this year
The Dolphins have served up a bit of everything this season so the jury's out on whether this is the beginning of something, but for Buffalo they'll require an instant response in a tough game against the Buccaneers in week 11 as the Patriots are quietly moving into a comfortable advantage at the top of the AFC East
In Focus - New England Identify Route to Unexpected First Place
Regarding the Patriots, they're among three eight and two squads in the league, all AFC sides, but are they the top team?
You can pick holes in New England, Denver and Indianapolis actually for dominating the lesser sides, with only five of their total 24 wins coming against teams with a positive record - and one of those was the Colts beating the Denver
Denver beat the champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are kings of the fourth-quarter while Indianapolis can ride Jonathan Taylor, but the New England including Sunday's win in Tampa to their prime time win in Buffalo appears to be a declaration
Their two defeats occurred in recently appointed coach Vrabel's first three contests, with seven straight wins, similar to Denver, since then - but defeating Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a week off to prepare was significant
Drake Maye's MVP claims continue to be discussed, and he certainly earns credit for bravery after taking some hard tackles in Tampa but persevering to guide his side to victory
The defensive unit is solid and rookie rusher Henderson exploded on game day with 147 yards and two exciting scores of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - establishing himself as just the fifth different ball carrier to exceed 22 miles per hour this season on his first score
Although you can debate who 'the best' is technically, the Patriots should be favourites to end with the top record due to their schedule - which features just a single matchup against a successful opponent, although a significant contest against Buffalo
Traveling to the Ravens is challenging too, but the Broncos have it even tougher in the AFC West division 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 Indianapolis also face the Chiefs, and have the Seahawks, 49ers and two games with the 5-4 Jacksonville to face. There is a long way to travel but the door is open for a surprise top seed in the American Football Conference
Coming Up - Rams & Seahawks Prepare for Next Week Clash
Two teams with strong arguments to be superior to all of the three different eight and two sides are National Football Conference West rivals the Seahawks and Rams, who both put up forty points to reach 7-2 before the upcoming major game between the pair in LA
Both have won four in a row, have quarterbacks in Matthew Stafford and Darnold playing at an elite level (although Sam Darnold had ball security problems on Sunday) with top receivers, and defensive units allowing fewer than twenty points a game
Both could realistically be without a loss as too - especially the Rams as their pair of losses occurred in overtime against the San Francisco and then that agonising loss in Philly when they had a potentially winning field goal with the final play deflected and run back by the Philadelphia for a touchdown
The Seahawks also lost to San Francisco, with a late touchdown in the opening week, before losing to the last kick of the game against the Buccaneers - so they're truly among the top teams in the league
The upcoming game on Sunday could be the best of the season to date
Player of the Week - Taylor
Jonathan Taylor could be on for a record season after his incredible display in Berlin - running for 244 rushing yards, scoring three touchdowns and adding an additional 42 {receiving yards