Buffalo's Bay Day Gives New England Route to Top Spot - Highlights of NFL Week 10
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Week 10 again delivered, with a major surprise for the Buffalo Bills proving the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' mantra that attracts so many fans into the National Football League
This outcome could have created things up for the New England Patriots to creep back into a top spot they used to occupy, with a schedule that gives them an advantage over their 8-2 rivals
Over in the National Football Conference the Seahawks and Rams had perfect results to set up a monster clash next week, while our player of the week is pursuing milestones as well as the MVP award
The Breakdown - Simply an Off Day for Buffalo?
Was it just an emotional letdown from defeating Kansas City last week or something more? That's the question for the Bills to address
The Buffalo squad had secured seven victories in a row against Miami but were outperformed from the start as the Miami team emerged as 30-13 winners in an eye-opening outcome - and performance
MVP Josh Allen only achieved the squad's initial first down in the third quarter and first points in the final quarter - yes the Dolphins had 10 days to prepare but it was still a massive egg produced by one of the NFL's best offenses
Tua Tagovailoa passed for two touchdowns but rusher De'Von Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 total yards and two scores
Bottling up the NFL's top running game was crucial too, with Cook and teammates registering just eighty-six yards, their fewest of the year and slightly more than half their 161.5-yard average
Additionally there were the three critical ball losses, and the pair from Allen specifically. An pass caught by defense in the end zone resulting in a nine minute possession yielded no points, and his final quarter dropped ball that Miami turned into a touchdown just later
It was typical 'previous Bills teams' as they shot themselves in the foot, getting into a deficit on defense and Allen trying to overcompensate to dig his team out of it - rather than the calm, disciplined, well-balanced Bills we've witnessed this season
The Dolphins have served up a varied performances this year so the jury's out on if this is the beginning of something, but for Buffalo they'll require an instant response in a difficult matchup against the Buccaneers in week 11 as the Patriots are sneaking into a comfortable advantage at the top of the AFC East
Spotlight - New England Identify Route to Surprise Top Seed
Regarding the Patriots, they're among three different 8-2 squads in the league, all AFC teams, but are they the best?
One could pick holes in the Patriots, the Broncos and Indianapolis really for dominating the lesser sides, with only five of their combined 24 victories coming against teams with a positive record - and one of those was the Colts beating the Broncos
Denver defeated the reigning champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are masters of the fourth-quarter while Indy can rely on Jonathan Taylor, but the New England adding Sunday's victory in Tampa to their prime time win in Buffalo seems like a declaration
Their two defeats came in new head coach Vrabel's initial three games, with seven consecutive wins, just like the Broncos, from that point - but defeating Baker Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a bye to get ready was significant
Drake Maye's MVP claims won't go away, and he certainly deserves credit for courage after taking some savage hits in Tampa but persevering to steer his side to success
The defense is solid and first-year running back Henderson burst onto the scene on game day with 147 rushing yards and two exciting touchdowns of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - establishing himself as just the fifth different runner to exceed 22 miles per hour this year on his initial touchdown
While you can debate who 'the top team' is technically, the Patriots should be favourites to finish with the best record due to their remaining opponents - which features just one game against a successful opponent, albeit a huge one against the Bills
Visiting the Ravens is challenging too, but the Broncos have it more difficult in the AFC West with the Kansas City to face two times, the Chargers (who could also compete for first place but encounter the same problem) and additionally the Green Bay on the schedule
The Colts also play the Chiefs, and have the Seahawks, San Francisco and two games with the five and four Jaguars to contend with. There's a considerable distance to go but the opportunity is available for a shock top seed in the American Football Conference
Coming Up - Los Angeles and Seattle Set for Next Week Clash
Both squads with solid claims to be better than all of the three 8-2 sides are National Football Conference West opponents the Seahawks and Rams, who both put up forty points to go to 7-2 before next week's major meeting between the pair in LA
Both have secured four victories 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
Each could realistically be undefeated as too - particularly the Los Angeles as their pair of losses came in overtime against the 49ers and then that painful defeat in Philadelphia when they had a game-winning field goal with the last kick deflected and returned by the Eagles for a score
The Seahawks also lost to San Francisco, with a late touchdown in week one, before losing to the last kick of the game against the Buccaneers - so they are truly two of the best sides in the NFL
The next matchup on Sunday could be the best of the year so far
Top Performer - Taylor
Jonathan Taylor could be on for a record season after his incredible display in Berlin - running for 244 yards, scoring three scores and contributing another 42 {receiving yards