Bills' Disappointing Performance Gives Patriots Path to AFC East Lead - Highlights of NFL Week 10
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The tenth week once more provided excitement, with a huge upset for the Bills proving the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' mantra that draws 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 leading position they formerly held, with a schedule that gives them an edge over their 8-2 competitors
Over in the National Football Conference the Seattle Seahawks and Rams had ideal outcomes to set up a major confrontation in week 11, while our top performer is chasing records as well as the MVP award
The Breakdown - Simply an Off Day for Buffalo?
Could it simply have been an emotional letdown from beating the Chiefs the previous week or something more? This remains the question for the Buffalo team to answer
The Bills had secured seven victories in a row against the Dolphins but were second best from the start as the Dolphins emerged as 30-13 victors in an surprising outcome - and performance
MVP quarterback Josh Allen only got the squad's opening first down in the third period and first points in the fourth - admittedly Miami had ten days to get ready but it was nonetheless a significant failure laid by one of the NFL's top offences
Tua Tagovailoa passed for two scores but rusher Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 combined yards and two touchdowns
Bottling up the NFL's top running game was crucial too, with Cook and teammates registering just eighty-six yards, their lowest of the season and just over fifty percent their 161.5 yard season average
Additionally there were the three crucial turnovers, and the two from Josh Allen specifically. An pass caught by defense in the end zone resulting in a nine-minute possession produced nothing, and his fourth-quarter dropped ball that the Dolphins converted to seven points just two plays
It was classic 'old Buffalo' as they hurt themselves in the foot, getting into a deficit on defense and Allen trying to do too much to dig his team out of it - rather than the composed, disciplined, well-balanced Buffalo team we've witnessed this year
Miami have demonstrated a varied performances this season so the verdict is uncertain on whether this is the start of something, but for the Bills they'll require an immediate bounce-back in a tough game against the Buccaneers next week as the New England are quietly moving into a nice lead at the top of the American Football Conference East
In Focus - New England See Path to Unexpected First Place
Regarding the Patriots, they're among three different eight and two teams in the NFL, all AFC sides, but are they the best?
You can find flaws in New England, Denver and Indianapolis actually for feasting on the weaker opponents, with only five of their combined 24 victories coming against opponents with a positive record - and one of those was the Indianapolis defeating the Broncos
The Broncos defeated the champion Eagles in Philly and are kings of the final quarter while Indy can ride Jonathan Taylor, but the New England adding Sunday's win in Tampa Bay to their primtime success in Orchard Park appears to be a statement
Their two defeats came in recently appointed coach Vrabel's initial three games, with seven straight victories, just like Denver, from that point - but defeating Baker Mayfield after the Bucs had a week off to prepare was huge
Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials won't go away, and he certainly deserves point for courage after taking some hard tackles in Tampa Bay but persevering to guide his team to success
The defense is solid and first-year running back Henderson exploded on game day with 147 yards and two exciting touchdowns of 55 and 69 yards - establishing himself as just the fifth different ball carrier to exceed 22mph this year on his initial touchdown
Although you can argue who 'the best' is technically, the Pats should be favourites to finish with the best record due to their schedule - which features just a single matchup against a winning team, although a huge one against Buffalo
Visiting the Ravens is also tough, but the Broncos have it more difficult in the AFC West division with the Kansas City to face two times, the Chargers (who could also challenge for first place but face the same problem) and additionally the Green Bay on the schedule
The Indianapolis also face the Chiefs, and have the Seahawks, 49ers and two games with the 5-4 Jacksonville to face. There's a long way to travel but the opportunity is available for a surprise top seed in the AFC
Coming Up - Los Angeles and Seattle Set for Next Week Showdown
Two teams with solid claims to be better than all of the three 8-2 teams are NFC West rivals the Seattle and Los Angeles, who both scored forty points to reach 7-2 before next week's Hollywood blockbuster game between the pair in Los Angeles
They've both secured four victories in a row, have quarterbacks in Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold performing at an elite level (although Darnold had ball security problems on Sunday) with top receivers, and defensive units giving up fewer than twenty points a game
Both could realistically be undefeated as well - particularly the Los Angeles as their two defeats occurred in extra time against the San Francisco and then that painful defeat in Philly when they had a game-winning kick with the final play blocked and run back by the Eagles for a touchdown
The Seahawks also lost to San Francisco, with a late touchdown in week one, before falling to the final play of the contest against the Buccaneers - so they are genuinely two of the top teams in the league
The next matchup on Sunday could be the most exciting of the year to date
Top Performer - Jonathan Taylor
Jonathan Taylor could be on for a record season after his remarkable performance in Germany - rushing for 244 yards, scoring three scores and adding another 42 {receiving yards