Bills' Bay Day Opens Patriots Route to AFC East Lead - Best of NFL Week 10
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Week 10 again delivered, with a huge upset for the Buffalo Bills demonstrating the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' saying that attracts so many people into the National Football League
This outcome could have created things up for the New England Patriots to move back into a leading position they used to occupy, with a schedule that gives them an advantage over their eight and two rivals
Meanwhile in the National Football Conference the Seahawks and Rams had ideal outcomes to set up a major confrontation next week, while our player of the week is chasing records as well as the Most Valuable Player award
The Breakdown - Simply an Off Day for Buffalo?
Was it just an emotional letdown from defeating Kansas City last week or something more? This remains the question for the Bills to answer
The Bills had secured seven victories in a consecutive games against the Dolphins but were outperformed from the start as the Dolphins emerged as 30-13 winners in an surprising outcome - and display
MVP Josh Allen only achieved the team's initial first down in the third period and first points in the fourth - admittedly Miami had ten days to prepare but it was still a massive egg produced by one of the NFL's best offenses
Tua Tagovailoa threw two touchdowns but running back De'Von Achane was the devastating difference, with 225 combined yards and two touchdowns
Containing the league's best rushing attack was also key, with James Cook and teammates recording just eighty-six yards, their fewest of the season and slightly more than fifty percent their 161.5-yard season average
Additionally there were the three critical ball losses, and the two from Allen specifically. An interception in the end zone resulting in a nine-minute drive 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 shot themselves in the foot, falling into a deficit on defensive side and Josh Allen attempting to do too much to rescue his squad from the situation - rather than the calm, controlled, well-balanced Bills we've seen this year
Miami have served up a bit of everything this year so the jury's out on whether this is the beginning of something, but for the Bills they'll require an immediate bounce-back in a tough game against Tampa Bay next week as the Patriots are quietly moving into a nice lead at the summit of the AFC East
In Focus - New England Identify Route to Surprise Top Seed
Speaking of the New England, they're among three eight and two squads in the NFL, all AFC sides, but are they the best?
One could find flaws in New England, the Broncos and Indianapolis actually for dominating the lesser sides, with only five of their total 24 wins coming against opponents with a winning record - and one of those was the Colts beating the Denver
Denver beat the reigning champion Eagles in Philly and are masters of the fourth-quarter while Indianapolis can rely on Taylor, but the New England including Sunday's victory in Tampa to their primtime win in Orchard Park appears to be a statement
Their two defeats occurred in new head coach Mike Vrabel's initial three games, with seven straight wins, just like Denver, since then - but taking down Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a week off to get ready was huge
Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials won't go away, and he definitely earns credit for bravery after absorbing some savage hits in Tampa Bay but hanging in there to guide his side to success
The defensive unit is reliable and first-year running back TreVeyon Henderson exploded on Sunday with 147 rushing yards and two exciting scores of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - establishing himself as just the fifth ball carrier to break 22mph this year on his initial touchdown
While you can argue who 'the best' is statistically, the Patriots should be favourites to finish with the top record due to their remaining opponents - which includes just a single matchup against a successful opponent, albeit a significant contest against Buffalo
Traveling to Baltimore is also tough, but the Broncos have it more difficult in the AFC West division with the Chiefs to face two times, the Chargers (who could also compete for first place but face the identical challenge) and additionally the Packers on the fixture list
The Indianapolis also face the Chiefs, and have the Seattle, San Francisco and two games with the 5-4 Jacksonville to face. There is a long way to travel but the door is open for a shock top seed in the American Football Conference
Coming Up - Los Angeles and Seattle Prepare for Next Week Showdown
Both squads with strong arguments to be better than all of the three 8-2 teams are National Football Conference West opponents the Seattle and Los Angeles, who each put up 40 burgers to reach 7-2 before the upcoming major game between the two in Los Angeles
They've both won four in a consecutive games, have signal callers in Matthew Stafford and Darnold performing at an elite level (although Darnold had ball security problems on game day) with excellent pass catchers, and defenses allowing under 20 points a contest
Both could easily be without a loss as well - particularly the Los Angeles as their pair of losses occurred in overtime against the 49ers and then that agonising loss in Philly when they had a potentially winning field goal with the last kick blocked and returned by the Philadelphia for a touchdown
The Seahawks were also defeated to the 49ers, with a late touchdown in the opening week, before losing to the last kick of the game against the Buccaneers - so they're truly two of the best sides in the NFL
The upcoming game on Sunday could be the best of the year to date
Player of the Week - Jonathan Taylor
Taylor could be on for a historic year after his remarkable performance in Berlin - running for 244 yards, registering three scores and adding another 42 {receiving yards