Bills' Disappointing Performance Opens New England Route to AFC East Lead - Highlights of Week 10 NFL Action
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The tenth week once more provided excitement, with a huge upset for the Bills demonstrating the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' mantra that attracts so many people into the National Football League
This outcome may have opened things up for the New England 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 competitors
Over in the National Football Conference the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had ideal outcomes to set up a major confrontation in week 11, while our top performer is pursuing milestones as well as the MVP award
The Breakdown - Simply an Off Day for the Bills?
Could it simply have been an emotional comedown from defeating Kansas City last week or something more? This remains the question for the Bills to answer
The Buffalo squad had won seven in a consecutive games against Miami but were outperformed from the start as the Miami team ran out 30-13 winners in an surprising result - and display
MVP Josh Allen only achieved the team's opening first down in the third period and first points in the fourth - admittedly the Dolphins had 10 days to get ready but it was nonetheless a massive egg produced by one of the league's top offences
Dolphins quarterback Tua passed for two scores but running back Achane was the devastating difference, with 225 total yards and two touchdowns
Containing the league's best running game was crucial too, with James Cook and teammates recording just eighty-six yards, their lowest of the season and slightly more than half their 161.5-yard average
Additionally there were the three critical ball losses, and the two from Josh Allen in particular. An pass caught by defense in the end zone resulting in a nine-minute drive produced nothing, and his fourth-quarter fumble that the Dolphins turned into a touchdown just two plays
It was typical 'old Buffalo' as they shot themselves in the foot, falling into a deficit on defensive side and Josh Allen attempting 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
The Dolphins have demonstrated a varied performances this season so the jury's out on if this is the start of a trend, but for the Bills they'll need an immediate bounce-back in a difficult matchup against Tampa Bay next week as the Patriots are quietly moving into a nice lead at the summit of the AFC East
In Focus - Patriots See Path to Surprise Top Seed
Speaking of the Patriots, they're among three different eight and two squads in the NFL, all AFC sides, but could they be the top team?
One could pick holes in the Patriots, the Broncos and the Colts really for dominating the weaker opponents, with just five of their combined twenty-four wins achieved against teams with a winning record - and one of those was the Indianapolis beating the Denver
Denver beat the champion Eagles in Philly and are kings of the final quarter while Indianapolis can rely on Jonathan Taylor, but the Patriots adding Sunday's win in Tampa Bay to their prime time win in Buffalo appears to be a declaration
Their two defeats occurred in recently appointed coach Mike Vrabel's first three games, with seven consecutive wins, just like Denver, since then - but defeating Baker Mayfield after the Bucs had a week off to get ready was huge
Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials won't go away, and he definitely earns credit for courage after taking some savage hits in Tampa but persevering to guide his team to success
The defense is reliable and first-year running back TreVeyon Henderson burst onto the scene on Sunday with 147 yards and two exhilerating touchdowns of 55 and 69 yards - becoming just the fifth different ball carrier to break 22mph this year on his initial touchdown
Although you can debate who 'the top team' is statistically, the Patriots should be favorites to finish with the top record thanks to their schedule - which features just a single matchup against a successful opponent, albeit a huge one against Buffalo
Visiting the Ravens is challenging too, but the Broncos have it more difficult in the AFC West with the Chiefs to face two times, the Los Angeles Chargers (who might also compete for top seed but face the same problem) and additionally the Green Bay on the fixture list
The Colts also face the Kansas City, and have the Seattle, San Francisco and two games with the five and four Jacksonville to face. There is a long way to travel but the opportunity is open for a surprise top seed in the American Football Conference
Coming Up - Los Angeles and Seattle Set for Next Week Clash
Two teams with solid claims to be better than all of the three different eight and two sides are NFC West opponents the Seahawks and Los Angeles, who both put up forty points to reach seven and two ahead of the upcoming 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 Sam Darnold had ball security problems on Sunday) with top receivers, and defensive units giving up fewer than twenty points a game
Each could easily be without a loss as too - particularly the Los Angeles as their two defeats occurred in extra time against the 49ers and then that painful defeat in Philadelphia when they had a potentially winning kick with the last kick deflected and run back by the Eagles for a score
The Seahawks also lost to San Francisco, with a last-minute score in the opening week, before falling to the last kick of the contest against the Buccaneers - so they are genuinely among the best sides in the league
The upcoming game on Sunday could be the most exciting of the year to date
Top Performer - Taylor
Jonathan Taylor could be on for a historic year after his remarkable performance in Berlin - rushing for 244 yards, registering three scores and contributing another forty-two {receiving yards