Bills' Disappointing Performance Gives New England Path to Top Spot - Highlights of NFL Week 10
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The tenth week again delivered, with a major surprise for the Bills demonstrating the 'any given Sunday' saying that attracts so many people into the NFL
This outcome may have opened things up for the Patriots to creep back into a leading position they formerly held, with a schedule that provides them an edge over their eight and two competitors
Meanwhile in the NFC the Seattle Seahawks and Rams had perfect results to arrange a monster clash in week 11, while our top performer is pursuing milestones as well as the Most Valuable Player award
The Breakdown - Just a Bad Day for Buffalo?
Could it simply have been 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 consecutive games against the Dolphins but were second best from the start as the Miami team ran out 30-13 victors in an surprising result - and performance
MVP quarterback Josh Allen only got the team's opening first down in the third quarter and first points in the fourth - admittedly the Dolphins had ten days to get ready but it was still a massive egg laid by one of the NFL's top offences
Dolphins quarterback Tua passed for two scores but rusher Achane was the devastating difference, with 225 total yards and two touchdowns
Containing the NFL's top rushing attack was crucial too, with Cook and company registering just eighty-six yards, their lowest of the season and slightly more than fifty percent their 161.5-yard season average
Then there were the three crucial turnovers, and the pair from Allen specifically. An pass caught by defense in the scoring area meaning a nine minute possession yielded no points, and his final quarter dropped ball that Miami turned into seven points just two plays
It was typical 'previous Bills teams' as they hurt themselves in the foot, getting into a hole on defensive side and Josh Allen attempting to do too much to rescue his squad from the situation - rather than the composed, disciplined, balanced Bills we've witnessed this season
Miami have served up a bit of everything this season so the jury's out on if this is the start of a trend, but for Buffalo they'll need an instant response in a difficult matchup against the Buccaneers in week 11 as the New England are sneaking into a nice lead at the summit of the AFC East
In Focus - Patriots See Path to Unexpected First Place
Regarding the New England, they're one of three different 8-2 squads in the league, all American Football Conference teams, but could they be the best?
You can find flaws in the Patriots, Denver and Indianapolis really for dominating the weaker opponents, with only five of their total twenty-four victories achieved against teams with a winning record - and one example was the Colts defeating the Denver
Denver beat the champion Eagles in Philly and are masters of the fourth-quarter while Indianapolis can ride Jonathan Taylor, but the Patriots adding Sunday's win in Tampa Bay to their prime time success in Buffalo seems like a declaration
Their pair of losses occurred in new head coach Vrabel's initial three contests, with seven consecutive wins, similar to Denver, 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 earns credit for bravery after absorbing some savage hits in Tampa Bay but hanging in there to guide his team to victory
The defense is reliable and rookie running back Henderson exploded on Sunday with 147 rushing yards and two exhilerating scores of 55 and 69 yards - becoming just the fifth different ball carrier to break 22mph this season on his first score
Although you can argue who 'the top team' is statistically, the Patriots should be favourites to finish with the best record due to their remaining opponents - which includes just one game against a winning team, although a huge one against Buffalo
Traveling to Baltimore is challenging too, but the Broncos have it even tougher in the AFC West with the Kansas City to face two times, the Los Angeles Chargers (who could also challenge for top seed but encounter the same problem) and also the Green Bay on the schedule
The Indianapolis also face the Chiefs, and have the Seahawks, 49ers and two matchups with the 5-4 Jacksonville to face. There's a considerable distance to travel but the door is open for a surprise top seed in the AFC
Next Week - Los Angeles and Seattle Set for Week 11 Showdown
Both squads 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 put up 40 burgers to reach 7-2 before the upcoming major meeting between the pair in LA
They've both won four in a consecutive games, have quarterbacks in Stafford and Darnold performing at an elite level (although Sam Darnold had ball security problems on Sunday) with top receivers, and defenses giving up under 20 points a game
Both could realistically be undefeated as too - particularly the Los Angeles as their pair of losses came in overtime against the San Francisco and then that agonising loss in Philly when they had a potentially winning field goal with the last kick deflected and returned by the Philadelphia for a score
Seattle also lost to San Francisco, with a last-minute score in the opening week, before losing to the last kick of the game against the Buccaneers - so they're genuinely among the top teams in the NFL
The upcoming game on Sunday could be the most exciting of the year to date
Top Performer - Jonathan Taylor
Taylor might be on for a historic year after his remarkable performance in Germany - running for 244 rushing yards, registering three touchdowns and adding an additional forty-two {receiving yards