Bills' Disappointing Performance Opens New England Path to AFC East Lead - Best of Week 10 NFL Action
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The tenth week once more provided excitement, with a major surprise for the Bills proving the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' mantra that draws so many fans into the National Football League
This outcome could have created things up for the New England Patriots to move back into a top spot they used to occupy, with a schedule that provides them an edge over their 8-2 rivals
Over in the NFC the Seattle Seahawks and Rams had ideal outcomes to set up a monster clash next week, while our player of the week is pursuing milestones as well as the Most Valuable Player award
Analysis - Just a Bad Day for the Bills?
Was it just an emotional letdown from defeating Kansas City last week or a deeper issue? That's the question for the Bills to answer
The Buffalo squad had won seven in a consecutive games against Miami but were outperformed from the start as the Miami team emerged as 30-13 victors in an eye-opening result - and performance
MVP Josh Allen only achieved the team's opening first down in the third period and first points in the final quarter - yes the Dolphins had 10 days to prepare but it was nonetheless a significant failure produced by one of the NFL's top offences
Tua Tagovailoa passed for two touchdowns but running back Achane was the devastating difference, with 225 combined yards and two touchdowns
Bottling up the NFL's top rushing attack was also key, with James Cook and company registering just eighty-six yards, their lowest of the season and just over fifty percent their 161.5-yard average
Then there were the three critical ball losses, and the two from Allen in particular. An interception in the end zone meaning a nine-minute drive yielded no points, and his fourth-quarter dropped ball that Miami converted to a touchdown just two plays
It was typical 'old Buffalo' as they shot themselves in the foot, getting into a hole on defensive side and Allen attempting to do too much to rescue his squad from the situation - rather than the composed, disciplined, well-balanced Buffalo team we've seen this season
Miami have demonstrated a bit of everything this season so the verdict is uncertain on whether this is the beginning of a trend, but for Buffalo they'll need an immediate bounce-back in a tough game against the Buccaneers next week as the Patriots are quietly moving into a comfortable advantage at the summit of the AFC East
In Focus - New England Identify Route to Surprise Top Seed
Regarding the Patriots, they're one of three eight and two squads in the NFL, all AFC sides, but could they be the best?
You can pick holes in New England, the Broncos and Indianapolis actually for dominating the lesser sides, with just five of their total twenty-four victories coming against teams with a positive record - and one example was the Indianapolis defeating the Denver
The Broncos defeated the champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are masters of the final quarter while Indianapolis can rely on Jonathan Taylor, but the New England including Sunday's win in Tampa Bay to their prime time win in Orchard Park appears to be a declaration
Their two defeats occurred in new head coach Vrabel's first three contests, with seven straight victories, similar to Denver, since then - but taking down Baker Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a bye to prepare was significant
Drake Maye's MVP claims won't go away, and he certainly deserves credit for bravery after taking some savage hits in Tampa Bay but hanging in there to steer his team to success
The defensive unit is solid and first-year rusher TreVeyon Henderson burst onto the scene on game day with 147 yards and two exciting scores of 55 and 69 yards - becoming just the fifth runner to exceed 22 miles per hour this season on his initial touchdown
While you can argue who 'the best' is statistically, the Patriots should be favorites to end with the top record thanks to their schedule - which features just a single matchup against a winning team, albeit a huge one against Buffalo
Traveling to the Ravens is also tough, but the Broncos have it even tougher in the AFC West with the Chiefs to face two times, the Chargers (who might also compete for top seed but face the identical challenge) and additionally the Green Bay on the fixture list
The Indianapolis also play the Kansas City, and have the Seahawks, San Francisco and two matchups with the 5-4 Jacksonville to face. There's a long way to go but the door is available for a shock top seed in the American Football Conference
Next Week - Rams & Seahawks Prepare for Next Week Clash
Two teams with strong arguments to be better than all of the three different eight and two teams are National Football Conference West opponents the Seattle and Rams, who both put up 40 burgers to go to seven and two before next week's major game between the pair in LA
They've both secured four victories in a row, have signal callers in Stafford and Darnold performing at an high standard (although Sam Darnold had ball security problems on game day) with top receivers, and defensive units giving up under 20 points a contest
Each could easily be without a loss as too - especially the Los Angeles as their pair of losses came in extra time against the San Francisco and then that painful defeat in Philadelphia when they had a game-winning kick with the final play blocked and returned by the Eagles for a score
Seattle also lost to San Francisco, with a last-minute score in the opening week, before falling to the final play of the contest against the Buccaneers - so they're genuinely among the best sides in the league
The upcoming game on Sunday could be the best of the year to date
Top Performer - Jonathan Taylor
Jonathan Taylor could be on for a record season after his remarkable performance in Berlin - rushing for 244 yards, scoring three touchdowns and adding another 42 {receiving yards