Buffalo's Disappointing Performance Gives Patriots Route to Top Spot - Best of Week 10 NFL Action
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The tenth week once more provided excitement, with a major surprise for the Buffalo Bills proving the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' saying that attracts so many people into the NFL
This outcome could have created things up for the Patriots to move back into a leading position they formerly held, with a schedule that provides them an advantage over their 8-2 competitors
Meanwhile in the NFC the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had ideal outcomes to arrange a major confrontation next week, while our player of the week 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 a deeper issue? This remains the question for the Buffalo team to answer
The Bills had won seven in a consecutive games against Miami but were second best from the beginning as the Miami team emerged as 30-13 victors in an surprising outcome - and display
MVP Josh Allen only got the team's initial first down in the third period and first points in the final quarter - admittedly Miami had 10 days to prepare but it was nonetheless a massive egg produced by one of the league's top offences
Dolphins quarterback Tua threw two touchdowns but running back Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 total yards and two scores
Bottling up the NFL's top running game was also key, with Cook and teammates recording just eighty-six yards, their fewest of the year and slightly more than fifty percent their 161.5-yard season average
Additionally there were the three critical ball losses, and the pair from Josh Allen in particular. An pass caught by defense in the scoring area resulting in a nine-minute drive yielded no points, and his fourth-quarter fumble that Miami turned into seven points just later
It was typical 'old Buffalo' as they hurt themselves in the foot, getting into a hole on defense and Allen trying to do too much to rescue his squad from the situation - not the composed, disciplined, well-balanced Buffalo team we've seen this season
The Dolphins have demonstrated a bit of everything this year so the verdict is uncertain on whether this is the start of a trend, but for Buffalo they'll require an instant response in a tough game against Tampa Bay in week 11 as the Patriots are quietly moving into a nice lead at the summit of the AFC East
In Focus - New England Identify Route to Unexpected First Place
Regarding the Patriots, they're among three 8-2 teams in the NFL, all AFC sides, but could they be the top team?
You can find flaws in New England, Denver and the Colts actually for dominating the weaker opponents, with just five of their combined twenty-four wins achieved against opponents with a winning record - and one of those was the Colts beating the Denver
The Broncos beat the champion Eagles in Philly and are kings of the fourth-quarter while Indy can rely on Jonathan Taylor, but the New England including Sunday's win in Tampa Bay to their prime time success in Buffalo appears to be a statement
Their two defeats occurred in new head coach Mike Vrabel's first three contests, with seven straight wins, just like Denver, since then - but defeating Baker Mayfield after the Bucs had a week off to prepare was significant
Drake Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials won't go away, and he definitely earns credit for bravery after taking some hard tackles in Tampa but persevering to steer his team to victory
The defensive unit is reliable and rookie running back Henderson exploded on Sunday with 147 rushing yards and two exhilerating touchdowns of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - establishing himself as just the fifth different runner to exceed 22mph this year on his first score
Although you can debate who 'the best' is technically, the Pats should be favorites to end 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 challenging too, but Denver have it even tougher in the AFC West with the Kansas City to face two times, the Chargers (who might also compete for top seed but face the same problem) and also the Green Bay on the fixture list
The Colts also play the Kansas City, and have the Seahawks, San Francisco and two games with the five and four Jacksonville to contend with. There's a long way to go but the opportunity is open for a surprise top seed in the American Football Conference
Coming Up - Rams & Seahawks Prepare for Week 11 Clash
Two teams with solid claims to be superior to all of the three different eight and two teams are National Football Conference West rivals the Seahawks and Rams, who both scored 40 burgers to go to 7-2 before next week's major meeting between the two in Los Angeles
They've both secured four victories in a row, have quarterbacks in Stafford and Sam Darnold playing at an high standard (although Darnold had ball security problems on Sunday) with top receivers, and defenses giving up under 20 points a game
Both could easily be without a loss as well - especially the Los Angeles as their pair of losses occurred in extra time 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 Eagles for a touchdown
The Seahawks also lost to San Francisco, with a last-minute score in week one, before losing to the last kick of the game against the Tampa Bay - so they are genuinely among the top teams in the NFL
The next matchup on Sunday could be the most exciting of the year so far
Player of the Week - Jonathan Taylor
Taylor could be on for a record season after his remarkable performance in Germany - rushing for 244 rushing yards, scoring three scores and adding an additional 42 {receiving yards