Bills' Bay Day Gives Patriots Path to Top Spot - Best of NFL Week 10
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Week 10 once more provided excitement, with a major surprise for the Bills demonstrating the 'any Sunday can bring surprises' mantra that attracts so many fans into the NFL
That result may have opened things up for the New England Patriots to move back into a leading position they formerly held, with a remaining games that provides them an edge over their eight and two competitors
Over in the NFC the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had ideal outcomes to arrange a monster clash 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 letdown from defeating Kansas City the previous week or something more? That's the question for the Buffalo team to address
The Buffalo squad had won seven in a row against the Dolphins but were outperformed from the beginning as the Miami team emerged as 30-13 victors in an eye-opening result - and display
MVP quarterback Josh Allen only got the squad's opening first down in the third quarter and first points in the final quarter - admittedly Miami had ten days to prepare but it was nonetheless a significant failure laid by one of the league's top offences
Dolphins quarterback Tua passed for two scores but rusher Achane was the game-changing factor, with 225 total yards and two scores
Containing the league's best running game was crucial too, with James Cook and teammates registering just 86 yards, their lowest of the season and just over fifty percent their 161.5-yard average
Additionally there were the three critical turnovers, and the pair from Allen specifically. An pass caught by defense in the end zone meaning a nine-minute possession yielded no points, and his fourth-quarter fumble that the Dolphins converted to seven points just two plays
It was classic 'previous Bills teams' as they shot themselves in the foot, getting into a deficit on defensive side and 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 demonstrated a varied performances this year so the verdict is uncertain on if this is the start of a trend, but for the Bills they'll need an instant response in a tough game against the Buccaneers in week 11 as the New England are sneaking into a comfortable advantage at the summit of the American Football Conference East
Spotlight - New England Identify Route to Surprise Top Seed
Regarding the New England, they're among three eight and two squads in the league, all American Football Conference teams, but are they the top team?
You can find flaws in the Patriots, Denver and Indianapolis really for dominating the weaker opponents, with only five of their total twenty-four wins coming against opponents with a positive record - and one of those was the Indianapolis beating the Broncos
Denver defeated the champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are kings of the fourth-quarter while Indianapolis can rely on Jonathan Taylor, but the New England adding Sunday's victory in Tampa to their prime time success in Orchard Park appears to be a statement
Their pair of losses came in recently appointed coach Vrabel's first three contests, with seven straight wins, similar to the Broncos, from that point - but defeating Mayfield after the Buccaneers had a week off to prepare was significant
Drake Maye's Most Valuable Player credentials won't go away, and he definitely deserves credit for courage after taking some hard tackles in Tampa Bay but hanging in there to guide his team to victory
The defense is solid and rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson burst onto the scene on game day with 147 rushing yards and two exciting scores of fifty-five and sixty-nine yards - establishing himself as just the fifth different ball carrier to exceed 22 miles per hour this year on his first score
Although you can debate who 'the top team' is technically, the Patriots should be favorites to end with the top record due to their schedule - which features just a single matchup against a winning team, albeit a significant contest against Buffalo
Traveling to the Ravens is also tough, but the Broncos have it even tougher in the AFC West with the Chiefs to face two times, the Los Angeles Chargers (who might also challenge for top seed but face the identical challenge) and additionally the Green Bay on the schedule
The Indianapolis also face the Chiefs, and have the Seahawks, San Francisco and two games with the five and four Jacksonville to face. There's a long way to travel 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 Showdown
Two teams with strong arguments to be superior to all of the three 8-2 sides are NFC West rivals the Seattle and Los Angeles, who both scored 40 burgers to go to seven and two ahead of next week's major game between the pair in Los Angeles
They've both secured four victories in a consecutive games, have quarterbacks in Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold playing at an high standard (although Darnold had ball security problems on Sunday) with excellent pass catchers, and defensive units allowing under 20 points a game
Both could easily be without a loss as well - especially the Rams as their pair of losses occurred in overtime against the San Francisco and then that agonising loss in Philadelphia when they had a potentially winning kick with the final play deflected and run back by the Eagles for a touchdown
Seattle also lost to San Francisco, with a last-minute score in week one, before falling to the final play of the game against the Buccaneers - so they are genuinely among the top teams in the league
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 record season after his remarkable performance in Berlin - running for 244 yards, scoring three scores and contributing another 42 {receiving yards