Bills' Disappointing Performance Opens Patriots Path to Top Spot - Best of NFL Week 10
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Week 10 once more provided excitement, with a huge upset for the Buffalo Bills demonstrating the 'any given Sunday' mantra that draws so many people into the National Football League
This outcome could have created things up for the Patriots to creep back into a leading position they used to occupy, with a remaining games that provides them an advantage over their 8-2 rivals
Over in the National Football Conference the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had perfect results to set up a major confrontation next week, while our top performer is chasing records as well as the Most Valuable Player award
The Breakdown - Simply an Off Day for the Bills?
Was it just an emotional comedown from beating the Chiefs last week or a deeper issue? This remains the question for the Bills to address
The Buffalo squad had won seven in a consecutive games against the Dolphins but were second best from the start as the Miami team emerged as 30-13 victors in an eye-opening outcome - and display
MVP Josh Allen only got the team'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 produced by one of the NFL's best offenses
Dolphins quarterback Tua threw two scores but running back Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 combined yards and two touchdowns
Bottling up the league's best rushing attack was also key, with James Cook and teammates registering just 86 yards, their fewest of the season and just over fifty percent their 161.5 yard season average
Then there were the three crucial ball losses, and the pair from Allen specifically. An interception in the end zone resulting in a nine-minute drive yielded no points, and his fourth-quarter fumble that the Dolphins converted to a touchdown just two plays
It was typical 'old Buffalo' as they hurt themselves in the foot, falling into a deficit on defensive side and Josh Allen attempting to do too much to rescue his squad out of it - not the composed, controlled, balanced Bills we've seen this year
Miami have served up a bit of everything this season so the jury's out on whether this is the beginning of something, but for the Bills they'll need an immediate bounce-back in a difficult matchup against the Buccaneers next week as the Patriots are quietly moving into a nice lead at the summit of the AFC East
Spotlight - Patriots See Path to Unexpected First Place
Speaking of the Patriots, they're among three different 8-2 squads in the NFL, all AFC teams, but could they be the top team?
One could find flaws in New England, Denver and Indianapolis really for dominating the weaker opponents, with just five of their combined 24 victories achieved against teams with a positive record - and one example was the Indianapolis defeating the Broncos
Denver beat the reigning champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are masters of the final quarter while Indianapolis can rely on Jonathan Taylor, but the Patriots including Sunday's win in Tampa 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 games, with seven consecutive wins, just like the Broncos, from that point - but taking down Baker 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 certainly earns credit for courage after absorbing some hard tackles in Tampa but hanging in there to steer his team to success
The defensive unit is reliable and first-year running back Henderson burst onto the scene on game day with 147 yards and two exhilerating touchdowns of 55 and 69 yards - becoming just the fifth runner to break 22mph this season on his first score
While you can argue who 'the best' is statistically, the Patriots should be favourites to finish with the top record due to their schedule - which includes just a single matchup against a winning team, albeit a huge one against Buffalo
Traveling to Baltimore is challenging too, but Denver have it even tougher in the AFC West division with the Chiefs to face two times, the Los Angeles Chargers (who might also compete for first place but face the same problem) and additionally the Packers on the schedule
The Colts also play the Chiefs, and have the Seattle, San Francisco and two matchups with the five and four Jaguars to contend with. There is a considerable distance to travel but the door is open for a shock number one position 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 eight and two sides are National Football Conference West opponents the Seahawks and Rams, who each put up forty points to go to seven and two ahead of the upcoming major game between the pair in LA
Both have 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 top receivers, and defensive units allowing fewer than twenty points a contest
Each could easily be undefeated as too - especially the Los Angeles as their pair of losses occurred in overtime against the San Francisco and then that painful defeat in Philadelphia when they had a game-winning kick with the final play deflected and run back by the Philadelphia for a score
The Seahawks also lost to the 49ers, with a last-minute score in week one, before falling to the last kick of the game against the Tampa Bay - so they're truly two of the best sides in the NFL
The upcoming game on Sunday could be the best of the year so far
Top Performer - Jonathan Taylor
Taylor could be on for a historic year after his incredible display in Berlin - rushing for 244 yards, scoring three touchdowns and adding another 42 {receiving yards